Earlier this year, at the Geneva Motor Show, the BMW Group’s CEO, Mr. Harald Kruger, confirmed the name of the upcoming full EV model in the works in BMW’s Munich HQ: BMW i4. The car will be based on the BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept and will most likely resemble a 4 Series Gran Coupe in production clothes when it finally arrives. And while the design is quite appealing, the biggest question around this new model is whether it will provide enough range to fulfill even the highest demands. As it turns out, it may very well do so.
At this week’s annual press conference, BMW’s CEO said that the upcoming i4 will be coming with the company’s fifth generation of eDrive technology which means it will be delivering the performance we’re all waiting for: “With the fifth generation of eDrive, our vehicles will be able to drive 550 to 700 kilometers on electric power, depending on the model. We will achieve this in the BMW i4 and the iNEXT.”
In miles that adds up to anything between 340 and 435 miles and if it becomes reality, it will be beating Tesla’s offerings available today. Of course, we’re talking about a possible launch after 2020 and that means the American car maker can also improve its offerings by the time BMW launches the i4, but either way, the signs are definitely encouraging for those looking for a premium EV. In the meantime we’ll get to see the first all-electric X3 come out in the shape of the iX3 by 2020.
As for when exactly the production of the BMW i4 will kick off, 2020 seems like the target now, as Auto Express reports. The head of BMW i division Robert Irlinger, told them that the production will kick off “as soon as we have all our modular systems working, so something around 2020. We are working on a very competitive and innovative project; we are trying to find the right design for the car.”
