When BMW first launched the i Division in 2014, hopes were high for the Bavarians. Funny commercials were putting the quirky BMW i3 in front of the mainstream and rave reviews about the BMW i8 were pouring in. However, the hype quickly fizzled, as cars like the Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf rose to popularity. Soon thereafter, Tesla followed up with the Model X and now the Model 3, Chevy introduced the Bolt and Audi debuted the e-tron. While BMW still has the same i3 and i8, neither of which are very popular with the public and neither of which offer much over their competitors. In fact, the BMW i3, now with its largest battery to date, still doesn’t have as much range as the much cheaper Chevy Bolt.
For BMW to once again become a leader in electrification, it’s going to need new models. Many new models. In fact, the Bavarians are planning on launching twelve new completely electric vehicles by the time this new 3 Series runs its life cycle. By 2025, BMW plans on released twelve EVs, some entirely new cars, some updated versions of existing cars and some electrified versions of existing cars. Regardless of the type, there will be twelve purely electric BMWs in just over six years time, all part of BMW’s NUMBER ONE > NEXT strategy.
So let’s take a look at them.
BMW i3
Okay, let’s start with the i3. Despite being a bit long in the tooth now (isn’t it crazy how fast techy cars age?), the BMW i3 will stick around for 2021. We can expect maybe a battery upgrade or two, maybe some tech upgrades as well, but the i3 will still be here by the time 2021 rolls around. Will it still be competitive in the market? Hard to tell, as we don’t know exactly what BMW has in store for it and we don’t know exactly what the market will be like. It will still be here, though.
MINI Electric
This is one of the more exciting electric cars that we’ll be seeing from the BMW Group. With its small compact size, millennial fanbase and urban styling, the MINI Electric should be an absolute hit. Plus, if any brand on the market could benefit the most from electrification, it’s MINI. Imagine a tiny little MINI with a ton of instant electric torque? That could be a blast. We’ve already seen a concept of the MINI Electric and it looks a lot like a current MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, just with some funky wheels and green accents.
BMW iX3
We already know quite a bit about the BMW iX3 and have already seen several spy photos of it, as well as a concept. In a nutshell, the BMW iX3 is going to be an electrified version of the current BMW X3, built on the same chassis. main differences will be that it will, obviously, be fully electric and only rear-wheel drive. It will also have a range of about 250 miles, give or take a couple, and will be capable of DC fast charging. The iX3 will likely debut in 2020, with it possibly being revealed late next year.
BMW i4
This is arguably the most exciting BMW EV on its way. The i4 will be a gran coupe of sorts, with four-door coupe-like styling. From what we’ve heard, the BMW i4 will get similar styling to the BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept. It’s also said to get two electric motors, one at each axle, although no horsepower or performance figures have been claimed. BMW did say that it could have upwards of 435 miles of range, which is really impressive. Don’t expect this until 2021 or later, though.
BMW iNEXT
You’ve probably seen the BMW iNEXT Concept already. It’s the odd looking all-electric crossover with fully autonomous capability and a rear bench seat that has some sort of touch panel built into it. It’s odd, it’s futuristic and it was almost universally panned by our readers for its styling and just overall existence. While we aren’t as down on it as many of you readers are, it’s still not a loved car. However, it will be an important one, as it will bring electrification and autonomy together for BMW and provide a huge glimpse into the future. The iNEXT is said to go into production in 2021.
BMW X1 plug-in hybrid
BMW iX1
This is the beginning of the cars we don’t know much about, as they’re too far off into the future. Some of the info is based on previous What we do know is that, after the debut of the iX3, BMW will begin working on a smaller electric crossover, dubbed the iX1. Though, don’t expect it to debut before 2025.
BMW 5 Series EV
In addition to the ‘i’ branded models, BMW could also be offering electrified versions of its usual nameplates. The BMW 5 Series is likely to get an electric model of its own with the next generation of 5er, after the current G30. Though, we currently have no information on what sort of electric powertrain it could have, if it will have a dual-motor all-wheel drive variant or what sort of battery/range it will have. We just know that BMW is thinking about using its fifth-generation architecture to make one, especially considering the success of the 530e plug-in hybrid.
BMW 7 Series EV
Much like the 5 Series EV, we don’t know much about the upcoming 7 Series EV. The only thing we know is that a pure BEV 7 Series will make sense and it’s likely on the planning board. It would also come with the next generation of 7 Series, like the 5er, so don’t expect a pure electric G11 7er. This future EV 7 Series will likely be made to take on the high-end luxury electric vehicles, like the Tesla Model S and whatever else might debut by 2025.
Rumored…For Now
BMW’s latest generation of scalable electric architecture is designed to accommodate all types of electric and hybrid vehicles, and will feature higher-density battery cells and scalable battery packages, with more configurations than before. There’s also the ability to easily change the electric motor or powertrain, depending on the vehicle. It gives BMW the flexibility to make electric or hybrid versions of virtually any car and do so efficiently and effectively.
So with that in mind, it’s natural to assume that the BMW Product Management bosses are looking across the entire lineup. There is still room to electrify more models, from the 6 Series GT to the 8 Series (even though BMW shut down the possibility of an 8 Series electric), and some X cars, so it will all come down to the business case and profit margins.
The MINI brand is also going through a restructuring process. The once hip brand needs to reinvent itself in order to survive in a world full of SUVs and trucks, so one way to attract new customers to the brand is to create a new class of compact, electric vehicles that are not only cool looking, but also emission-free and affordable.
EVs are best for urban city dwellers and so are MINIs. So why not combine the two ideas while also keeping MINI on the cutting edge. Plus, as previously mentioned, the MINI brand fits electrification perfectly, with that instant electric torque adding to its cars’ zippiness.
Since BEV still aren’t selling in volume compared to ICE, isn’t leader in electrification a bit of a moot point? The industry as a whole isn’t up to sapped yet, let alone a single brand. Crown is still up for grabs. And comparing i3 to Leaf or Bolt makes about as much sense as comparing 330i to Cruze or Sentra.
The jury is still out. Past 2025 we can talk about kings, crowns, leaders etc.
I’ve spent too much time on green pages, Elon is Master of the Universe & legacy fossil manufacturers (like BMW) are kaput. Despite the fact Tesla are still not a volume manufacturer & consumers are still not buying BEV in volume. Guess pick-ups don’t exist in green land.
You must have been living under a rock then… https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/18/1-5x-more-tesla-model-3-sales-than-bmw-3-4-series-sales-in-2018-so-far/
Despite Tesla ripping off the name (after being threatened with legal action by Ford), these 2 vehicles are unrelated. BMW 3 & 4 are near the ends of their model lives, of course sales are down as their new replacement models are rolled out. Meanwhile, Tesla play catch up on years of waitlist while they still have the advantage of a monopoly market. BEV do not compete with ICE, the latter sold a record 80+ million units a year ago, BEV are a fraction of that. Tesla’s sales & record volumes with Model 3 are still in the thousands & a fraction of BMWs global volume, contrary to any clickbait headlines. I do not live under a rock, this is reality. Get back to me when Tesla have filled their wait lists & BEV are actually being produced in sufficient volume to service the global market. Until i4 is available, you cannot compare the products of the 2 marques. And probably not even then. Also by then Tesla will have to compete with new dedicated BEV from other German manufacturers. Good luck with that!
Tesla did not rip off the name. “Model E” is patented by Ford, not “Model 3”. Nothing was stopping BMW from coming out with more BEVs quicker, but of course, it’s easier to keep making petrol and diesel cars if that’s what one has experience with (and a lot of R&D money was already spent).
The only EVs I have high hopes for are the Porsche Taycan (on the high-end) and the VW ID Neo (for the masses). Even though Germans are very good at building cars, they are not the best when it comes to electronics (like most automakers). Just look at the consumption of both, i-Pace and e-tron quattro. Much higher than the heavier and roomier Model X.
Of course they ripped off the name, just as S has been the benchmark Mercedes for decades, idiots refer to Tesla as M3, which has been BMW since the ’80’s. BMW have sold a BEV for years and, since unlike Tesla they don’t build from tents, they are actually expanding existing & building new factories for volume BEV, including spending billion$ on battery contracts & being the only western manufacturer allowed to increase their participation in China. As I have already pointed out, sales don’t merit more BEVs quicker, mass market still isn’t paying BEV premium, why do you think Tesla just dropped prices? BMW win sustainability awards, new Mexican factory is green, as a 3 ton sedan generally carrying 1 person goes, S is hardly a paragon of consumption. It’s easier to make petrol & diesel cars because that’s what people are BUYING. In the millions. Not Tesla’s thousands.
The name is ‘Model S’, not ‘S’. Don’t see anything wrong with that. Just like Samsung is not copying Apple when they name their phones ‘S8’ vs ‘iPhone 8’.
Don’t see a problem with building out of tents. If the cars are good, I couldn’t care less about where they are manufactured.
Let me correct you: Every automaker now needs to do (BEV) research in China to be allowed to sell cars there. And it’s nice that BMW is spending big money on battery contracts, but Tesla doesn’t need to, since they have their own factory, which has the highest battery output (in kWh) in the world.
I am not saying that sitting alone in a car is efficient. Quite the opposite. We should rethink how urban transportation works, but the Model S carrying a single person definitely is more efficient than a 7 Series carrying a single person.
Tesla are contracted with Panasonic. China is not research, it is co-production. 7 Series is limited production & not comparable to Model S, since you want to gloat about sales figures. Before you correct me, know what you’re typing about. Actuaĺly, don’t, let me just block you & yr. bs.
The I Pace is not a German car and has won over 20 awards and is killing Tesla in Holland by two to one, is responsible ofr Tesla’s 40% drop in sales in Norway, and is not the carcited as the most unreliable vehicle – the Model X.. Might add that the Pace driving range has been certified as superior to the Model X 75 in real world tests.
Part of the reason the I Pace does not get the driving ranges expected for a battery of its size is due to its much stickier tires. The Porsche Taycan just outsold the Model X and Model S in its first year’s production, which has now sold out, with a lot of the sales going to Tesla owners. This is just the first of many Tesla killers. Tesla has lost its $7500 tax credit in the U.S.and will find it hard to compete – especially against the Polestar 2, the Hyundai Kona EV and Kia electric, both of which have superior “efficiencies.” Over 250 electric cars are coming from the world’s automakers and Tesla’s recharging technology is now second rate and its driving ranges are being equaled or exceeded by cars costing half as much. BMW demoed a 450KW recharge last week – three times faster than Tesla Superchargers. The days of sunny skies for Tesla are long gone. Even the upcoming performance version of the I Pace will out-accelerate every Tesla , including their $250,000 sports car. Tesla is doomed. Only those ignorant of the EV world pay attention to Tesla these days.
Ok. I didn’t write the sentence correctly. Know i-Pace is not German, but it is in the “premium segment”. And don’t get me wrong, it is an amazing car and am glad there is competition. Also have no doubts the i-Pace is better built than the Model X.
But the Model X is a bigger car, seats 2 extra people, has more cargo room, higher towing capacity, yet still manages to be more efficient. You can just see that Tesla has more experience working with electronics. It’s nice that BMW has tested 450kW, but are they producing a car which can accept that? No. Tesla is also testing higher charge rates. It’s normal for any company to do so, but not everything makes its way to general consumers.
Kia and Hyundai are absolutely amazing in terms of the drivetrain efficiency, but are suffering from very slow charging in cold environments.
I don’t know what stats you are looking at, but last month (December) iPace sold 223 cars to 4100 for Model X. Not even close.
i-Pace is rated for 234 miles. Model X is rated for 237 miles, very close to I-Pace’s rated range. Real world testing shows that i-Pace’s freeway driving delivers nothing very close to rated range:
https://insideevs.com/driving-style-jaguar-i-pace-range/
So I strongly suspect the Tesla does better here. But even if it doesn’t, the Tesla gets the same or better range as the i-Pace with a much smaller battery (75kwh to iPace’s 95kwh.) So i-Pace has an energy efficiency problem, It will cost more to charge, and take longer to charge.
I read an interesting article where they’ve likened the auto industry to Kodak. The digital camera started its life around ’75, but when the technology reached an exponential acceleration, Kodak was done for in just a few years.
The same will happen to many auto companies, suddenly. BMW, I believe, is one that will remain. They’re very aware of this rapidly changing world. And, according to this article, many of BMWs more ‘uncomfortable’ ideas, are exactly where things are headed.
Adapt or die…
giommouton 3+
False equivalency much? A century ago electric were a quarter of the market. BMW is not Kodak., much of their R&D is new tech. Existing grids already have blackouts, what happens when you add millions of BEVs?
I like that BMW is planning on several different pure BEV models and not just hobbling an electric motor and small battery onto an existing gas car. I really enjoyed my BMW Z4 until the maintenance cost started going through the roof. Yes, basically it was replaced with a Tesla because they had (have) the only viable single car/all purpose electric vehicle available right now. No BMW or other brand will be viable to me until they have a charging network as good as Tesla’s. They will undoubtedly make great 2nd cars for use around town. No need for gas stations at all — that is a real plus in my book. For road tripping I’ll take our Tesla. Maybe we’ll replace our Bolt EV (around town car) with a Mini…
How do you road trip in a Tesla? Trans-Canada Hwy. (& most of the rest of the globe) do not even have charging stations?
“The rest of the globe” will require a flight and a car rental. I live in the USA, not Canada. We are planning a road trip to Eastern Canada from the Southwest USA. There are ample superchargers for the trip — mostly. We’ll penalty have to invest in a CHAdeMO adapter for use in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. They have plenty CHAdeMO chargers.
Take a look at the plugshare page. Make sure you set the filter to superchargers, CHAdeMO, J1772, and NEMA 14-50. That’s how it will work. For more fun, go to abetterrouteplanner.com, set it to Model X 100D, enter a starting point and a destination and it will show you how.
This past year we did about 12000 road trip miles that included visiting California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona.
So Tesla are 1%ers. Of buyers & the globe.
I hope the Mini Rocketman come to life.
Requires new, smaller platform, BMW haven’t found a partner. Then they could also produce beautiful Superleggera BEV roadster.
I am worried about how the 5 and 7 series will look like considering the horrible designs if the i- division of BMW.
Only the ix3 looks better than the other conceptions.
What is the difference between ‘debut’ and ‘being revealed’?
Being shown versus going on sale.
Waitlists, taking deposits & actually being able to test a production vehicle.
I’m not a fan of of the editors on this blog regularly having a bias against self-driving and electric cars. Personally, I am extremely excited by what BMW will bring to cars in this space. If I can have a car the drives for me through the week to work, and I can drive it on the weekend I would love that. I don’t want to be driving all the time – it is a repetitive job for a machine. I have more important and enjoyable things to be doing that driving.
That’s the beauty of it. Editors don’t have to be fans of self-driving cars and you don’t have to be a fan of that fact. You can also comment on why you disagree. Nice, ain’t it? :)
When you get to 65, you will start to appreciate self driving capability being available.
I hope to see more “assisted” driving, especially for older drivers.
That’s called assisted living. And then euthanasia.
Since autonomous electric don’t exist, why not talk about volume Tesla & flying cars?
No bias. I’m on my third i3. That says it all.
And I’m not a fan of people who want to be relieved from being responsible for their own transportation needs so they can spend more quality time with their phones. Yes it would be nice to use autonomy to not get stressed out before work, or take a break on a road trip, but it’s a convenience feature more then anything.
Where I drive in-and-out of my city centre has 5 lines of traffic and generally in the mornings and night, I drive 2 meters, stop, drive 2 meters, stop, drive 2 meters, stop in peak hour traffic .. 100’s of time on the way home each and every morning and night. It is not enjoyable to do this – especially at the end of the day, when you are absolutely exhausted, about to fall over and think you then have to drive home through the unbelievable traffic that requires constant concentration just before you can have a moment to relax. I like driving when I have an open road and can enjoy driving on the weekends. I have 100’s of important tasks to complete each day and being able to complete some of them in the morning instead of driving would give me more free time later in the day for some rare time off.
Sounds like a semi-autonomous cruise control would work for you in heavy stop and go traffic. Something with active steer assist, and radar guided cruise control. I’ve had it in my Tesla, and now in my Jaguar I-Pace. It does extremely well in the traffic you described, it keeps you in your lane, and moving with traffic. It does reduce your driver fatigue, I’ve used it heavy traffic, and returned home in the evening with more energy to enjoy my evening.
I really don’t feel like driving at the end of my day. I am absolutely exhausted nearly everyday. It’s another task to complete when I’m tired.
I’d like to see an electric BMW model, that is designed to be electric only from the start with a design that looks like a BMW. The i4 comes close but I’d like to see the grill outline resemble a traditional grill outline, or even resemble their pre WW2 grill. I’d also like to see a new i3, my i3 has been an amazing car, and I’d hate to see the little simple electric car be discontinued.
Glad BMW arriving with an SUV first as it should sell well.
We’ll see, price, range, will dictate its succcess
Since when has any BMW sold on price, range or dog nose?
Those are electric cars. Different customer type
I think as BEV go mainstream BMW will still be able to sell on their strengths, any owner review I’ve read of i3 mentions it’s a great driver. I’m very curious to see how different manufacturers approach BEV, a lot of ICE cars are too much the same – can’t say that about i3!
I think we can safely say no one is waiting for the iNext, and it will sell in low numbers, unless they redesign the dog nose.
And BMW, I criticize with love.
Just trying to help you sell this thing.
Someone in upper management might get fired if this is released as currently designed.
Pay attention, upper management keep getting hired by the competition, last firing was after BL purchase in the ’90’s, they were immediately hired by Ford & VW.
BMW, et al recently demoed their DC fast charge CCS protocol (the world’s standard), at 450KW, three times faster than Tesla Superchargers.
Over 250 electric cars are coming to market over the next several years, only two of them of any significance form Tesla. Tesla now has second rate EV technology. Tesla cannot compete against the Chinese NIO ES6, a car as good as Tesla (and better looking) at half the price.
Demoing a fast-charger means nothing. 10 and 5 minute charging has been demoed before, years ago. Proterra even has a huge electric bus that charges in 10 minutes.
No, what matters is actually rolling it out in real-world charging stations. Electrify America’s CCS charging network has a 10-year rollout timetable. That’s quite a while.
Tesla has a real, existing nationwide charging network, throughout USA, Canada, Mexico and Europe. And Tesla ALSO has a faster charging system they start rolling out this year. Upgrading EXISTING charge stations is a heck of a lot faster than building a few thousand NEW charging stations from scratch.
Pretty laughable statement, considering Tesla has the best motor, best batteries, and best charging network today. Jaguar iPace, for example, needs a huge 95kwh battery to get barely 200 miles of freeway driving. Tesla Model X gets more freeway range from a smaller 75kwh battery. Tesla Model 3 gets 300 miles from an 80kwh battery.
This means Jaguar has to buy 30% more battery for their car, just to get a decent range. That’s darn expensive, and wipes out any profit they might hope to make. The other competition for Tesla have the same problems. Chevy Bolt needs 2 hours for a “fast-charge” than Tesla can do in 20-30 minutes.
I challenge you to name a car that has better EV tech than Tesla. A REAL car, not hype or vaporware that doesn’t yet exist.
I’m not Tesla fanboy but I’m 100% behind you. Just look at all car brands especially legacy ones, they’ve been saying battery technology is not ready to be in cars even today Toyato still says batteries are not ready yet Tesla is ahead of them. Tesla is proving the impossible with current technology because batteries are their bread and butter.
Legacy ones are preaching Solid State Batteries, imagine how Tesla’s Solid State Batteries will be if they can do amazing things with lithium. Look at how speedy diesel scandal made Volkswagen go EV and put some much investments. It shows they didn’t push as much as they are pushing now and right now with the countries reducing the selling of ICE their EV tech is pushed as hard as ICE tech used to be.
Tesla production #s still in the thousands, 80+ million ICE sold in 2017.
Yes but it’s growing, no company starts of big. Every country wants a Tesla, and the truth is people are experiencing their battery engineering via their cars and that keeps them in their brand.
Tesla still has a long way to go but a lot of us outside of USA are waiting to see their company all over. But what I was talking about was their battery engineering, battery technology that it’s way ahead of the guys that have billions. All they do is show of cocepts(with probably fake range) while Tesla brings concepts to life.
So why when Tesla made their patents available were there no takers? Why did early investors Toyata & Mercedes bail? How can every country want Tesla when most don’t even have infrastructure for BEV?
Is there really not going to an AWD/dual motor iX3? A RWD SUV with no AWD variant really makes no sense to me…