The iX3 concept previews BMW’s new fully electric SUV.
BMW
BMW is at the beginning of an electric vehicle offensive. Harald Krüger, BMW’s chairman of the board of management, initially said the company would launch 25 new electrified models by 2025, 12 of which will be full EVs. That’s still on track, but Klaus Fröhlich, the company’s chief engineer, now says these cars will all launch by 2023 — two years sooner than expected.
“It’s not a stress for me,” Fröhlich said at a media event in Munich, Germany, on Tuesday. “We have not moved product forward. We have just decided on additional products.”
It’s unclear exactly what these “additional products” are, though it’s no secret BMW is betting big on plug-in hybrid vehicles. This year alone, BMW will offer new, PHEV versions of the 3 Series, 7 Series, X3 and X5.
BMW’s next fully electric vehicle will be the iX3 SUV, which is expected to arrive in 2020. Fröhlich also says a roadgoing version of the Vision M Next Concept is possible — “we deliver what we promise,” he said when asked about the showcar’s production likelihood.
In addition to the BMW brand, Mini will get in on the electrification game. “As an urban brand, Mini is practically made for e-mobility,” Krüger said during a media event in 2018.
The small car manufacturer plans to launch the 2020 Cooper SE later this year; look for it to debut in July.