Buried in its third quarter performance report, BMW has confirmed that it will introduce fully-electric BMW X3 and MINI models by the end of the decade. No details have been revealed as yet, but the latter will be the first to come to market in 2019, while the zero-emissions X3 will only be offered in showrooms in 2020.
The X3 EV would be the first mainstream pure electric vehicle sold by the main BMW brand – discounting the i3, which is marketed under BMW i. The timing points to the drivetrain being introduced on the next-generation G01 model, and even then only after the facelift.
MINI’s version would be a continuation of the brand’s long, drawn-out foray into electrification, beginning with the lease-only MINI E in 2008 – that one used a 208 hp/220 Nm electric motor and a 35 kWh battery, resulting in a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 8.5 seconds, a 152 km/h top speed and a range of 240 km.
More recently, the company introduced the Cooper S E Countryman All4 plug-in hybrid, which takes a 136 hp/220 Nm 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine and mates it to an 88 hp/165 Nm electric motor, a 7.6 kWh lithium-ion battery and a six-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 100 km/h takes just 6.9 seconds, and the car is also capable of up to 40 km of pure electric driving, at speeds of up to 125 km/h.
In other news, BMW has once again confirmed that the production version of the i8 Spyder concept is coming in 2018, and has been given a new, finalised name – the i8 Roadster. Also re-confirmed is the iNEXT, a larger, fully-autonomous vehicle that will be launched at the beginning of the next decade.
Amazing how so many car companies have come out with hybrid and EV.
My question is this…where is Proton’s Hybrid and EV cars? Proton promised their Hybrid 8 years ago. They took lots of our money to do research to develop a hybrid. Where has the money gone and where is the Proton Hybrid?
Then Proton showcased their EV Iriz 3 years ago. Big hoo haa. They again asked gomen more money to come out with a production Iriz EV.
What happened? Where is the money and where is the car? Our money mah!
By 2020, every car company would have a hybrid and an EV. Except one car company. That is Proton. Still syiok sendiri.
Just like when Proton was the last car company to still use Carburetor when all car companies moved to Fuel Injection in the late 90s.
In Malaysia, we like to syiok sendiri.
Tell that to your beloved jepumis toyota which recycle old engine and ancient gearbox in vios for generations. And dun forget the quality has gone down to rubbish level with thilose defects and fatal airbags
According to basher logic, BMW is totally useless cuz they wanna wait for Matt to come home from Mars b4 launch their EV. According to them, why need to develop here, test there, tease everywhere. Just shove it into the car and launch it now! If they dun do as told, then BMW is BN lapdog.
Except that BMW usually does produce what they talk about or at least some sophisticated iteration of it. Proton on the other hand…..
… depends on economic scale, which is nobrainer to mass produce expensive cars which r not P1 target market.