BMW’s electric offensive continues as the first-ever iX1 has now hit the assembly line in Germany at the company’s Regensburg Plant. The zero-emission compact crossover is manufactured alongside conventionally powered models with gasoline and diesel engines as well as plug-in hybrid derivatives. All roll off a single assembly line for the first time, but gradually, EVs will take over. The Bavarians estimate that by 2024, one in three cars built at the factory won’t have a combustion engine at all.
For the time being, BMW is making the iX1 exclusively as an xDrive30 model with dual motors delivering a combined output of 313 horsepower (230 kilowatts) and 364 pound-feet (494 Newton-meters) of torque. The electric punch allows the company’s smallest EV to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.6 seconds. It is believed a more affordable, single-motor variant will be launched in 2023 with front-wheel drive and less power.
Spied earlier this week, the iX2 will bolster BMW’s electric portfolio as an EV variant of the second-generation X2. It’s believed to enter production toward the end of next year and should be assembled at the same Regensburg plant. In the meantime, the original X2 has been discontinued, and sources close to the company are saying the next model won’t enter production until November 2023.
Also due next year, the iX1 will get a MINI equivalent taking the shape of a next-generation Countryman in EV form. It is believed the stylish crossover will lose the plug-in hybrid powertrain available today, but nothing is official at this point.
The BMW Group’s electric lineup is bound to increase furthermore in 2023 with the i5 based on the next-generation 5 Series Sedan. We’ve heard through the grapevine an iX4 on the Neue Klasse platform is slated for a 2026 market launch as the sole version of the third-gen X4 since plans to sell it with combustion engines have apparently been scrapped.
Source: BMW
