X1 Spied! BMW X1 EV

[Mark]

Lets stick with the EV cars today. After some photos of the Audi R8 E-Tron still testing, here are some news from BMW.

What looks like a normal BMW X1 on these photos is actually an all electric X1. As we can see, it's been given away by the lack of exhaust pipe and of course the Hybrid stickers.

To be really sure we waited for it to leave and there was absolutely no doubt about this being an all fully electric vehicle.

So will BMW bring an EV version of the current X1 or are they already testing the technology for the next generation X1?

Since they also have all those i3 running around we guess they don't need too test the i3 equipment in other type of cars.

Toyota has an EV version of the Rav4 in the works together with technology from Tesla so it might just be that BMW will be offering something like that.

We will keep you updated as soon as we got some more news about this all electric BMW X1.

[Source: CarPix]

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[Mark]

Here are the higher resolution images:

 

[Hofmeister]

Why is it a pre-LCI?? Anyway I think the E84 is too old to receive an electric version so late into its lifecycle. Interesting.......

 

[SCOTT27]

It's a mule there is an electric drivetrain underneath but its more suited to the UKL platform , a quick look in the interior shows why X1 would not be practical at this stage. But aswell as the individuality of BMWi , the Active Hybrid models will also be stretched across the BMW portfolio. This will give BMW an advantage of three sustainable mobility model lines - Efficient Dynamics , Active Hybrid and BMWi.

 

[EnI]

I guess it has more to do with this:

BMW may export cars built under a new brand developed with Chinese partner Brilliance Automotive to mature and developing markets, global sales boss Ian Robertson said. BMW hadn’t decided which markets outside China the new brand would be sold in, but mature markets such as Europe hadn’t been ruled out, Robertson said.

The name of the new brand will be revealed at the Shanghai auto show this month, a BMW source said. Chinese media have reported that the local name is Zhi Nuo, which means The Promise.

The new BMW-Brilliance brand is expected to base its models on existing BMWs built by the partnership at their plant in Shenyang, China, including the X1 SUV and 3-series sedan. Robertson declined to confirm this during an recent interview.

Foreign automakers building cars in China have to develop a new brand with their local partner under Chinese regulations. A key condition is that a proportion of the cars must be “new energy” with either a hybrid or full-electric powertrain. The idea is that global automakers help local firms produce cars good enough to establish a Chinese brand abroad,

Read more: http://europe.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130404/ANE/130409948/bmw-mulls-exports-of-china-joint-brand-cars#ixzz2Q4Ke4qQX