BMW teases iNext, i4, and iX3 electric vehicles

ABU DHABI: It’s not every day when an automaker releases ‘spy’ shots and gives us details about the camouflaged cars in the picture. Well, this is exactly what BMW has done. In a bid to show their seriousness in the EV game, BMW has released icy spy pictures of their three upcoming electric vehicles. The cars in question are the iNext, i4, and iX3.

Getting into the details, the i4 is a 4-door coupe and falls between the i3/i8. There are speculations that the i4 could give us a glimpse into the upcoming 4 Series Gran Coupe. They are both 4-door coupes after all, we will have to wait and watch. According to BMW, the i4 has a range of up to 600 km and can hit 100 kmph from standstill in 4 seconds with a top speed of 200 kmph. Production for the i4 is said to commence in 2021 at BMW’s Munich plant (the 3 Series and 4 Series Coupe are also produced there).

Moving on to the iX3 compact SUV which is likely to be revealed sometime this year as it will enter production in 2020. Production of the iX3 will occur in China and then exported to international markets. With a range of up to 400 km, the iX3 can be completely charged in 30 minutes with a 150 kW DC fast charger. In essence, this compact SUV is a fully electric version of the X3 and will square up against the Mercedes EQC. Currently, the vehicle is undergoing cold-weather testing on frozen lakes in and around BMW’s testing facility in Sweden.

Rounding off things is the iNext, which is the company’s technology flagship. BMW did not mention where exactly this model falls in its line-up, perhaps we will have to wait for further information. The iNext will have a range similar to the i4 and comes equipped with Level 3 autonomous driving technology. Based on BMW’s future modular platform, the iNext will incorporate “the latest innovations” for design, connectivity, and electrification. Production is set to commence in 2021 at BMW’s Dingolfing plant (where the 5 and 7 Series are also produced).

With these new models, BMW has increased its all-electric line-up from just the i3 and i8, which in turn will give customers more options to choose from. All 3 of these new EVs will use BMW’s 5th generation eDrive technology.