After a long wait, BMW shows off the all-electric i4 saloon
BMW has taken the wraps off the i4, a new all-electric vehicle to slot in between the i8 hybrid and i3 electric.
It's been many years in gestation but the good news is that this car is planned to enter production in Munich during 2021, using BMW's fifth-generation of its eDrive technology.
The BMW iX3 remains due to go into production this year and will lead the way in the application of the latest-gen drivetrain which will also appear in other models in due course.
The model sits in the "premium midsize" class so it's essentially a next-gen 5 Series. It's certainly a smart-looking car from the side, although the humongous grille will divide opinion and, er, we're just not sure what we think of it as yet.
BMW released a lot of the specs late last year and, well, let's just say that performance from the 80kWh batteries is not going to be an issue - it'll output 530bhp (390kW if you're that way inclined) and get from 0–62 mph in around four seconds. BMW says this performance "ranks it alongside a current BMW V8 combustion engine."
BMW reiterates that the range is up to 600km/373 miles when measured by the Euro measurement (WLTP) and The US EPA measurement is less positive at 435km or 270 miles.
Range, then, isn't going to be an issue that completely disappears but we're certainly hearing more hearty range stats across the board.
One interesting tidbit about the production line in Munich is that it will be producing combustion-engined vehicles, plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles on the same assembly line.
While 90 percent of existing gear can be used to produce the i4, BMW says that the remaining 10 percent requires new machinery, especially for integrating the high-voltage battery pack into the production process.
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