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BMW Concept iX3 Features Pirelli P Zero Tires In Paris

The 2018 Paris Motor Show is the venue where BMW has announced the i4 will be presented in three years from now on. To make the waiting more bearable, the German automaker also exhibited the Concept iX3, complete with black-tinted windows and Pirelli P Zero high-performance tires.
BMW Concept iX3 21 photos
Photo: Guido ten Brink/SB-Medien
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It’s curious when you think about it, more so if you bear in mind the iX3 features rear-wheel drive instead of a dual-motor setup. More to the point, why would an electric crossover focused on driving range would need tires with more rolling resistance than Michelin’s Energy Saver A/S and Primacy MXM4.

The first i-branded BMW based on a series-production model will start production in 2020, in China of all places. MINI will build its electric hatchback in the Middle Kingdom from 2019 onward, and this is just the start for both of the premium-oriented brands.

Underpinned by the CLuster ARchitecture of the X3 with internal combustion, the iX3 promises in the ballpark of 200 kW. That’s 270 horsepower, coming courtesy of an electric motor integrated together with the transmission and electronic control unit into a single component.

BMW claims more than 400 kilometers on a full charge of the 70-kWh battery, sandwiched into the floor of the iX3. The range is calculated according to the World Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure, which means that the United States EPA could rate the compact electric crossover utility vehicle at 250 miles.

Along with the iX3, BMW will launch an electric powertrain option for the 3 Series. Also revealed in Paris, the seventh generation is a technological tour de force that leverages the 5 Series, 8 Series, X5, and even the Z4 to a lesser extent.

For those with range anxiety, BMW tries to sweeten the deal with a charging system that works at up to 150 kW. According to the Munich-based automaker, the lithium-ion battery needs 30 minutes to charge to the brim if the customer uses this type of station.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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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