The BMW iNext model is going to be an important addition to the company’s roster. Ever since the car was announced, officials from BMW were adamant about pointing out that it will become the brand’s flagship model, taking the place of the 7 Series in this regard. At the moment though, it’s hard to say what exactly the iNext will be, as we don’t even know what shape it will have or what kind of powertrain it will be using.

The car is supposed to arrive in 2021 and in the meantime BMW is expected to cover a lot of ground, especially in the field of battery research and autonomous driving. According to our sources, the BMW iNext will have at least two performance levels which indicates that the model will be similar to a new addition to the range. Just like it’s the case with any other car, from the 1 Series, to the 7 Series, the iNext will have different motors (as it is going to be electric) and different battery packs under its belt.

Therefore, customers will get a choice between an ‘entry level’ iNext with less power and shorter range and, at the other end of the spectrum, a more powerful model with longer range. At the moment, sources talk about at least two performance levels so there’s a chance that we’ll see more than that once the car is launched. As for the shape it will take, our own sources claim it will be an SUV but it remains to be seen just how big it will be to figure out which are its biggest rivals.

The batteries for the iNext will be made in Germany by BMW’s partners, CATL. The Chinese company just got a 4 Billion Euros contract from the German company, to help with its plant’s development in order to make sure once the batteries are needed, they’ll be able to supply them without any hiccups. The CATL plant will also provide battery cells for other models later down the road.