The Bavarians have been relentless in their pursuit of e-mobility with the launching and unveiling of several electrified models such as the i3, iX3, i4 and iNEXT in the last decade. BMW announced that they’ve been successful in shifting half a million electrified cars as of 2019, with the 500,000th car being a BMW 330e which was delivered to its owner at BMW Welt.
"Half a million vehicles is the best proof: Our broad range of electrified vehicles is meeting exact customer needs. Now, we are stepping up the pace significantly: We aim to have one million electrified vehicles on the roads within two years. This is our contribution towards effective climate protection," said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.
With an aim of putting another 500,000 electrified cars on the road by the end of 2021, BMW has its work cut out. Next year, a fully-electric version of the X3, called the iX3 is slated to enter production and go on sale. The iX3’s target market is China and coincidentally, that’s where it’ll also be produced for global consumption. The X3 is also the BMW Group’s first vehicle that available with four different powertrain variants: diesel, petrol, plug-in hybrid and pure electric.
Thereafter, in 2021, it’s the turn of the iNEXT – or whatever the model name ends up being – which is a big deal for the brand who is currently spending €400 million (643 million Australian dollars) retooling its Dingolfing factory in southern Bavaria just to build it. It’s also understood that the INEXT will be built alongside the 5 Series, 7 Series and 8 Series which means the retooled factory can produce internal combustion engine cars in addition to electrified vehicles at the same time.
New Dingolfing Plant Director Christoph Schröder said, “The BMW iNEXT is more than just a new model. It’s a pioneer for many key automotive innovations, especially autonomous driving. It is also paving the way for further rollout of these technologies over the coming years. The current structural measures for the iNEXT will also benefit other models built in Dingolfing in the future.”
Also in 2021, the BMW i4 is also slated to be produced and go sale. While the previous two examples considered were of the SUV persuasion, the i4 is a pure electric Gran Coupe-bodied premium mid-size offering.
The Bavarian Group currently has 12 electrified variants and models in its stable, ranging from Mini to the BMW 7 Series. There are over 60,000 electrified BMW Group products on German roads today, claimed the brand.
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