autoevolution
 

Electric 5-Series Could Arrive under BMW’s ‘i’ Brand

We still have mixed feelings about BMW’s newest green initiatives, as we still don’t know how well they will fit in with the company’s performance-oriented image. It seems that the new ‘i’ brand will not be limited to just the i3 citycar and the i8 sportscar, as BMW bosses have revealed that an electric 5-Series is underway.

Sales and marketing chief Ian Robertson told AutoExpress at the Geneva Motor Show that “the i3 and i8 serve different purposes. They are bookends if you like, so there is definitely space for regular cars in between them.” So electric versions of the 2 and 5-Series are very much a possibility.

Thankfully for those who still want to see a BMW as it should be, this won’t happen for at least three years. They will combine styling elements from the current generation with touches from the ‘i’ range, namely blue-rimmed grille and narrower wheels.

“This is an opportunity for BMW to produce a groundbreaking performance car – there’s no need to provide a petrol-only model. I’ve driven the i8 a lot recently, and it has all the performance you could need,” said Robertson, suggesting that the pure-petrol i8 is not being developed.

He suggested that the i8 will get a synthetic sound box: “We think customers will accept synthetic soundtracks. You could even download different sounds. I suspect legislation will make it compulsory. Watch this space.”

We don’t know about you, but the idea of a BMW with fake sound, that is not produced by the engine, sounds really revolting to us.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories