5 Series BMW i5 in the works

[Matski]

Many things, but mainly - lack of progress or initiative on EVs (despite a head start at least among germans).

If they had a good product leadership, they should have already had a 200+ mile range i3 and an i5 that is already launched or close to launch by now. Instead they are still sitting on a piddly 120 mile range i3 that is too expensive and a rather confused and now long in the tooth i8.

There's clearly been a big side step in philosophy - one minute it's "Born electric... we don't want to just electrify existing platforms...", now, under Kruger, it's electrification of much more familiar models. One was a more holistic approach, the other more pragmatic. I don't disagree with either - but I think the change in direction is what makes them look bad. People seem to be expecting the automotive landscape to shift entirely within one product life-cycle, I don't think this was ever going to be the case and I'm also not sure there are really any good benchmarks for BMW's performance.

I'll defend the i3 and i8 till I'm blue in the face because I believe they absolutely nailed their respective design briefs - I will accept though, that the market reaction to them was probably a long way from where BMW thought it would be, and in both cases they could have done more to ease the public acceptance of the models. The market wants to boil everything down to range, yet the market doesn't seem to know what range it wants... they just go with bigger is better. BMW knew before they launched the i3 what people needed from a city car.. or MegaCityVehicle, they got the data from the ActiveE and MiniE programs... where they messed up is thinking that people would be sensible out it... people want 200+ miles range... they average less than 9 miles per trip...

At the end of the day though, you have to question whether or not trying to win the race to drive down profits, in order to gain market share in quite a small market, that actually undermines your existing, proven and profitable business would really be better management. I'm not saying its a journey that the manufacturers shouldn't take... but it was only 5 years ago I stood in the Park Lane showroom marvelling at the i8 and i3 concepts, these products haven't even had a true LCI yet --- I think things are already moving fast enough.

 

[Cashmere]

Of the German trio, BMW has the weakest electric car strategy so far. Very laid back approach with no sense of direction.

It really is a pity because BMW has lost a great deal of its sportiness by diluting the M brand and also refusing to make a proper sports car while its biggest rivals have capitalized on it with products such as the Audi R8 and Mercedes SLR/SLS/GTS.

BMW's reason for not building a sports car was their focus on the future with the i3/i8. While both those products were ahead of their time at launch, they now seem like neglected products in BMWs lineup. BMW lost out on the sports car market and looks like they're also digging their own grave on the electric front. If they don't pull their fingers out of their arses in the next 6 months and go all in on electric, I suspect they will suffer a similar fate as Nokia/Blackberry did in the mobile phone industry. 2021 will simply be too late for their first all electric car.

 

[Matski]

Of the German trio, BMW has the weakest electric car strategy so far. Very laid back approach with no sense of direction.

They have a unique dedicated EV, that isn't just an EV, but a ground up study in sustainability. Measure that against the B-Class E-Cell.. Or the R8 Etron... sorry I forgot, they cancelled that..

EQ is trying to emulate i, but is years behind ... it is promises...

Audi will get what VW can afford, it might work out well if VW invest heavily in EV's after dieselgate, but for now, the future is uncertain... it is at best promises...

BMW have a true dedicated EV, it's been on sale for years. They have announced true EV versions of some of their existing volume models, and so far they are the only one of the trio to actually demonstrate their willingness to put this stuff out there. Their message might have been muddled up over the past couple of years... but in terms of actually delivering, of the German trio, they are the only ones to already have put their money where their mouth is.

 

[nikola1984]

BMW i5 Previewed By Tesla Model 3-Sized Concept at 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show

 

[Matski]

Okay, I'm somewhat excited...

 

[PanterroR]

^I am not, i hate electric cars.

 

[Matski]

^I am not, i hate electric cars.

To be fair, if it's new, and it's got a BMW badge on it, I get excited! A whole new model is like a luxury massage for my mind.... a whole new model that might put pay to constant complaining about not having a Tesla competitor is like a luxury massage, with a "happy ending" ;D

 

[PanterroR]

To be fair, if it's new, and it's got a BMW badge on it, I get excited!

Me too, but when i see that it's being charged and not fueled, i give up.

 

[fuhro]

 

[Matski]

Some extracts from Krügers speech...

Our strong commitment to e-mobility is underlined in NUMBER ONE > NEXT. We will be increasing the share of electrified models across all brands and model series. And, yes, that also includes the Rolls-Royce brand and BMW M vehicles.

Let me make one thing very clear: In e-mobility, the BMW Group will also be the leading provider in the premium segment. By 2025, we will offer 25 electrified vehicles – 12 will be fully-electric. Today, and at the IAA, you will see the concept vehicle for the first series electric MINI, for release in 2019. As we have announced, we will be introducing the first BMW core model – the X3 – as a BEV in 2020. Going forward, all fully-electric BMWs will belong to BMW i. This also applies to the X3. We have also announced the BMW iNEXT – our next innovation spearhead – for 2021.

At this year’s IAA, we will unveil another significant milestone in our roadmap for e-mobility. It is a vision of how we imagine a four-door, fully-electric vehicle between the i3 and i8. It is a vision we want to realize in the foreseeable future. And a further step in our commitment to sustainable mobility.

 

[EnI]

Spoiler alert!

 

[Centurion]

Is it a concept or an BEV that will be available to buy in the next 12-18 months?

 

[klier]

So iNext and i5 sedan are different cars then?

 

[SCOTT27]

^I am not, i hate electric cars.

A drive in an i3 is what you need.

 

[EnI]

BMW i5 to be revealed as EV saloon with range of
up to 435 miles

BMW's third i model will be previewed at Frankfurt motor show with a new 'notchback' concept

by Greg Kable
7 September 2017

BMW will preview the third model in its electrified i brand line-up with the unveiling of a new concept car at next week’s Frankfurt motor show.

The eagerly anticipated i model, which is expected to take the i5 name into production, is planned to be introduced in 2021 as part of a range of up to 25 plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles announced by BMW chairman Harald Krüger in an update to the German car maker’s 'Number One > Next' model strategy.

“By 2025, we will offer 25 electrified vehicles - 12 will be fully electric,” Krüger said in a statement to the media in Munich on Thursday.

Krüger confirmed the existence of the new i model, referring to it as a “significant milestone in BMW’s roadmap for e-mobility”. He added: “It is a vision of how we imagine a four-door, fully electric vehicle between the i3 and i8. It is a vision we want to realise in the foreseeable future."

The i5 is among four new pure electric models set to be confirmed by BMW at the Frankfurt motor show. Others include the first series production electric-powered Mini, an electric-powered version of the X3 and a separate i brand model known under the working title iNext.

While shrouded in secrecy five days before its planned unveiling, the i5 is expected to take the form of a four-door 'notchback'-style saloon offering accommodation for up to five adults and a pure electric range of between 311 and 435 miles.

Commenting on the technical aspects of the new i model, BMW R&D boss Klaus Fröhlich said: “The i model we have planned for launch in 2021 will incorporate our fifth-generation battery electric system – a step that will take us to the next level.”

BMW’s fifth-generation battery electric system has been conceived around a new generation of battery cells and electric motors, providing what Fröhlich describes as “a big leap in energy density and overall range” over the existing i3.

Autocar can also confirm plans by BMW to provide the new i brand model with advanced new autonomous driving technology. Details remain scarce, although Fröhlich said future i models will be differentiated from BMW’s more mainstream electric-powered models planned for introduction by 2025, including the upcomingMini Electric and X3 Electric, by innovative technology such as Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving technology.

“We’re going for a top-down approach on autonomous driving technology. We want to understand Level 5 first. It will likely arrive in 2025,” he said.

In confirming the new i model for the Frankfurt motor show, Fröhlich said it was separate to the iNext: “They are two completely different models.”

The iNext, which builds off the Vision Next 100 unveiled as part of BMW’s 100th anniversary celebrations in 2017, is set to take the form of a high-riding crossover-style SUV model, according to BMW sources privy to initial styling proposals, who suggest it will receive the i7 name.

BMW development boss Klaus Fröhlich said the brand's shift to electric comes at a time when public opinion of car makers is low. In an apparent nod to the Volkswagen dieselgate scandal, he said "The actions of some have severely compromised the credibility and trustworthiness of our industry. As a result, we now face tighter – and sometimes irrational – approaches to legislation. Around the world, regulations on fuel consumption, emissions and safety are changing faster than ever before".

BMW is investing €200 million into a battery research and development facility so it can control the production and supply of its batteries in house.

 

[Matski]

I'm not convinced those patent leak images are related to this..

 

[zonk1988]

Hopefully they are not. The patent car should never carry BMW badge.

 

[EnI]

So iNext and i5 sedan are different cars then?

Yes, two different models.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Don't worry if you can't make the IAA at Frankfurt this year. This concept will be rolled out for the next four years at every motor show, just like the i8 was. Well and truly milked, like a Jersey cow.

 

[SCOTT27]