Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
Remember the announcement BMW made in July 2017 on the electric MINI three-door hatchback and electric X3? After the carparazzi caught the e-MINI doing its thing in sub-zero, the time has come for the iX3 to step into the limelight. And it’s not alone, for BMW is also testing the plug-in hybrid X3, which will be marketed under the iPerformance name.
First things first, the iX3 or whatever you want to call it. Everything the Bavarian automaker is willing to share about the newcomer is the year it’ll go into production. Coming to a dealership near you in 2020, the iX3 looks just like your regular X3 in this set of spy photos, except for the rear end.
No exhaust pipes are to be found there, and on the driver’s side front fender, you’ll further notice the charge port door. Being a crossover utility vehicle from a premium-oriented brand, it is likely the iX3 will come with all-wheel-drive as standard. The big question is battery capacity. Or if you will, the possibility of BMW i offering not one, but two battery options.
Moving on to the X3 PHEV, the test vehicle is painted in the same shade of white as the iX3. The charge port door is shared with the iX3, but the round-shaped exits of the exhaust system and the radiator that slumbers in the engine bay aren’t. In all likelihood, the internal combustion part of the plug-in hybrid powertrain is the B48 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that’s also found in the 330e iPerformance.
As it is the case with the X5 xDrive35i and X5 xDrive40i, the X3 PHEV is certain to come in two output levels and with all-wheel-drive. There’s talk of an even more powerful powertrain, which as far as the 7 Series is concerned, is expected to be called 745e iPerformance.
As opposed to the iX3, the X3 PHEV should go official as soon as late 2018 or no later than early 2019. Just like the ICE-exclusive X3, the eco-friendly models will be manufactured at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina.
No exhaust pipes are to be found there, and on the driver’s side front fender, you’ll further notice the charge port door. Being a crossover utility vehicle from a premium-oriented brand, it is likely the iX3 will come with all-wheel-drive as standard. The big question is battery capacity. Or if you will, the possibility of BMW i offering not one, but two battery options.
Moving on to the X3 PHEV, the test vehicle is painted in the same shade of white as the iX3. The charge port door is shared with the iX3, but the round-shaped exits of the exhaust system and the radiator that slumbers in the engine bay aren’t. In all likelihood, the internal combustion part of the plug-in hybrid powertrain is the B48 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that’s also found in the 330e iPerformance.
As it is the case with the X5 xDrive35i and X5 xDrive40i, the X3 PHEV is certain to come in two output levels and with all-wheel-drive. There’s talk of an even more powerful powertrain, which as far as the 7 Series is concerned, is expected to be called 745e iPerformance.
As opposed to the iX3, the X3 PHEV should go official as soon as late 2018 or no later than early 2019. Just like the ICE-exclusive X3, the eco-friendly models will be manufactured at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina.
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