Photo: Autocar
Last year, BMW trademarked all the alphanumeric monikers starting with an ‘i’ going from 1 to 9, in an obvious attempt to make sure nobody steals them. That might mean that the company is thinking of launching more i cars and that’s a really strong possibility.
The question that arises now is what will those cars bring new to the table. The most rumored one is the i5, a possible alternative to the Tesla Model S and the perfect middle ground between the i3 and i8. We’ve even seen a couple of renderings of how the i5 could look like but they are all wrong. Here’s why.
First of all, if BMW will introduce a car that will have 4 doors and look more like a sedan than a city car (like the i3 does), it’s highly unlikely that it will be just a stretched version of the i3. That’s because even the Germans know that their first EV is not a looker.
That car came to life in that shape, in order to do the things it was designed to better, to be perfect at ruling the busy city streets. It also has to deal with a couple of compromises that make it less than perfect.
The ride height is a bit high, the rear seats are accessible only if the front doors are open and boot space is limited. You'd have to deal with all those problems if you're to release an i5.
This would have to be a toned down i8 and a bigger i3. It would probably have the face of the former and the economy of the latter. A proper boot and 4 individually opening doors would also help the case.
Sure, a CFRP and aluminum body is expected as well as well as similar powertrains but that’s about it when it comes to similarities. The batteries could be stored in the center stack and boot and power should definitely go to the rear wheels.
The engine could be making in excess of 170 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque as seen in the i3 application while the battery pack would also be improved, since the size of the car won’t be so limited. That means the i5 would be a worthy rival for the Model S and it will have a similar shape.
Prices should also be in between the i8 and i3. If the former starts at over $130,000 and the latter just above $40,000 before government grants, the i5 should be priced somewhere around $60-$70,000, exactly within Tesla’s range.
First of all, if BMW will introduce a car that will have 4 doors and look more like a sedan than a city car (like the i3 does), it’s highly unlikely that it will be just a stretched version of the i3. That’s because even the Germans know that their first EV is not a looker.
That car came to life in that shape, in order to do the things it was designed to better, to be perfect at ruling the busy city streets. It also has to deal with a couple of compromises that make it less than perfect.
The ride height is a bit high, the rear seats are accessible only if the front doors are open and boot space is limited. You'd have to deal with all those problems if you're to release an i5.
This would have to be a toned down i8 and a bigger i3. It would probably have the face of the former and the economy of the latter. A proper boot and 4 individually opening doors would also help the case.
Sure, a CFRP and aluminum body is expected as well as well as similar powertrains but that’s about it when it comes to similarities. The batteries could be stored in the center stack and boot and power should definitely go to the rear wheels.
The engine could be making in excess of 170 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque as seen in the i3 application while the battery pack would also be improved, since the size of the car won’t be so limited. That means the i5 would be a worthy rival for the Model S and it will have a similar shape.
Prices should also be in between the i8 and i3. If the former starts at over $130,000 and the latter just above $40,000 before government grants, the i5 should be priced somewhere around $60-$70,000, exactly within Tesla’s range.
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