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New BMW i4 shown winter testing in first official images


Whereas the i3, Mini Cooper E and iX3 will be familiar designs, Krüger has described the i4 as a direct Tesla Model 3 rival. Sources have suggested it will be based on a modified platform from the new second-generation 4 Series – itself similar to the CLAR structure that underpins the new 3 Series – and the latest spy pictures appear to bear this out.

Krüger said: “The leading factors that will set it apart are fantastic design, which is very different to anything else on the road, and the fact that it is lighter and therefore more dynamic than anything we see on the market today, thanks to the materials we will use. Couple that with the connectivity technology we are constantly developing and we are confident it will lead the market.”

Sources suggest BMW is considering two drivetrain options for the i4. The first uses a front-mounted electric motor in combination with a fixed-ratio gearbox and an electric propeller shaft to channel drive to the rear wheels. This layout would give the i4 traditional BMW traits and, according to one source, the best possible weight distribution.

The second, and more costly, option is to use two electric motors: one driving the front wheels and a second within the rear axle assembly driving the rear wheels. 

Similar to the system that’s set to appear on the iX3, it offers the choice between front- and four-wheel drive, depending on the drive mode that is selected. To achieve performance targets similar to those of the current 335d, BMW is banking on a total output for the electric motor set-up of the i4, whether as a single unit or dual units front and rear, of approximately 350bhp.

To meet the landmark EU ruling on required fleet CO2 emissions for 2030, Krüger has given not only the green light for 12 pure-electric models but also 25 plug-in hybrids by 2025.

BMW’s electric revolution begins in the sales charts

BMW’s sales of electrified models have increased rapidly in the past two years. In January 2017, it registered 5232 plug-in vehicles globally, but that figure had more than doubled to 13,271 by December. The company has registered on average more than 10,000 electrified models a month in 2018.

These registrations are more significant viewed as a percentage of BMW’s total sales figures. In January 2017, this was an unremarkable 3.2%, but in August 2018, it was 6.7%. Surprisingly, the most popular plug-in BMW Group model in 2017 was the all-electric i3 – a car that has been in showrooms since 2013 and failed to meet targets for many of its years on sale.



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