A base FWD version will also be available.
BMW’s strategy to expand the EV market quickly includes the launch the iNext, which will be previewed tomorrow. Although it will be the brand’s technological flagship, a smaller and more affordable electric vehicle will likely play a greater role in sales. The upcoming will not arrive before 2022.
Although the official debut of the electric crossover is at least 18 months away, BMW blog appears to know that it will ride on a new platform. It will launch as an indirect successor for the i3. According to the publication, there will be two powertrain options: an entry-level model with 180 horsepower or a more powerful model with 250 horsepower.
One-motor electric propulsion systems could be offered as a base offering. This system may or may not use an evolution of the i3 motor. The base version will be front-wheel driven, but the more powerful model will rely on a dual motor layout to provide AWD capabilities.
The iX1 is part of the new X1’s family, which should be available sometime next year. After the X3, which received a zero emission version earlier in the year, the iX1 will be the brand’s second gasoline-powered model. The eco-friendly X1 will not be a radical departure from the designs of the combustion-powered versions, but it will have at least a few visual tweaks that are similar to the iX3.
The exact launch date of BMW’s new models is unknown at this time, but the new X1 should arrive in the second half of 2021. Although the iX1 electric crossover will follow, actual sales won’t start until the second half 2022.