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2020 BMW iX3 Still Testing With Less Camouflage Than Before

Revealed as a concept at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show, the iX3 is the first i model to be based on an existing car in the BMW lineup. The battery-electric crossover with premium attributes has been spied once again, and you’ll find it hard to set the prototype apart from the X3.
2020 BMW iX3 18 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
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This time around, BMW didn’t bother to camouflage the entire body shell, leaving parts of the front fenders and hood, doors, roof, and tailgate out into the open. The eco-friendly tires and “Electric Test Vehicle” stickers give away what’s hiding under the bodywork, along with the lack of tailpipes.

For some reason or another, both the front and rear BMW badge have been masked as if the carparazzi can’t make out the make and model. Camouflage is present inside too, but don’t expect the iX3 to differ too much from the X3.

Scheduled to enter production in China in 2020, the iX3 promises more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) of range on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure from a 70-kWh battery pack. The zero-emissions crossover also promises fast-charging capability (150 kilowatts), 270 horsepower, and seating for five people.

BMW hasn’t announced if the iX3 will have all-wheel drive, and we’re finding hard to make a guesstimate. The i3s comes with 181 horsepower from a rear axle-mounted electric motor, and the electric motor in the i8 churns out 141 horsepower. Tesla's Model 3 with rear-wheel drive is EPA-rated 258 horsepower.

MINI is working on an electric hatchback of its own, promising hot-hatchback performance. Given these circumstances, we’re inclined to think that BMW engineered the iX3 with rear-wheel drive. If that proves to be the case, we wouldn’t be surprised if a dual-motor option will be also offered.

The iX3 is the first BMW to use the fifth-generation electric drive, and the “highly integrated e-drive component” brings together the “e-motor, transmission, and power electronics.” In the following clip, it’s obvious the iX3 sends the goodies to the rear wheels instead of all four.

On a related note, the fifth-generation electric drive is capable of up to 700 kilometers (435 miles) in EVs and 100 kilometers (62 miles) in plug-in hybrid models.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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