Legacy automakers are very slow in adopting a fully electric strategy. BMW is no exception, even though it has been producing the city-dwelling i3 EV since 2012 under the BMW i banner. Everything is about to change come July 14th at 10 AM when the company is all set for an online reveal of the iX3 at home in Munich.
Not long-ago BMW opened at its largest production facility in Europe, Germany’s Dingolfing, the brand-new Competence Center for E-Drive - basically kicking off production for the fifth-generation BMW e-drive. This unit is of paramount importance for the electrification strategy of the group.
It can combine in a single housing unit the electric motor, transmission and power electronics – and the first BMW vehicle to use the new generation electric powertrain will be the iX3. Interestingly enough, while the e-drive solution will be manufactured in Europe, actual production of BMW’s first electric crossover will take place in China.
Manufacturing will kick off at the Chinese production facility (Brilliance Automotive will take care of it in Shenyang) this summer, with BMW already churning out a large batch of pre-production units. It seems the Bavarian carmaker is sticking to the rumored decision to focus on China and Europe with the iX3, so U.S. fans might be out of luck – at least for the moment.
Basically, BMW is not very sure the iX3, offered only in an RWD configuration, would be successful in America – even though the rest of the specs are pretty much spot on with EV fans: the single electric motor is capable of delivering 286 HP (210 kW) and 295 pound-feet (400 Nm) of twist and energy is supplied by a sizeable batter pack (74 kWh). According to WLTP estimates, the iX3 would be capable of covering up to 273 miles (440 km) on a single charge.
Back in Europe, the decision to locate the e-drive hub in Germany has to do with the company’s strategy – the modular setup allows electrification of both plug-in hybrid and fully electric models. Thus, the fifth-gen e-drive will be used by the automaker for the upcoming i4, the iNext flagship as well as the PHEV and fully electric versions of the next generations 7 Series limousine.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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