Reports have been emerging on the web, suggesting that the luxury German automaker, BMW, is planning a new model that is set to rival the Tesla Model S from America. It is said that the new model will make its debut in 2018. The new vehicle model will potentially be bringing either the i5 or the i7 moniker with it.
Referring to the report released by the Automobile Magazine, this new BMW vehicle is going to be available as a plug-in hybrid. This follows the engine configuration that the German company uses for both the i3 and i8, both of which have already been made available for public consumption. It is also said that the upcoming i5 or i7 will have its chassis based on the BMW 5-Series model available in the country of China. This model from China comes with a long wheelbase.
In addition to that, the upcoming BMW i5 or i7 will also bring with it a petrol engine paired with a couple of electric motors, mounted at the front part of the car. This engine will give the car an extended range of distance to reach.
One of the very interesting things about this new model is that it can be available with all available drivetrains. Customers will get to decide either they want to have their i5 or i7 available with the rear-wheel-drive (RWD), front-wheel-drive (FWD) or the all-wheel-drive (AWD) drivetrain. As for the powertrain, it is still a mystery to figure out. One thing that we do know for sure for now is that using only its electric motors, the car can take its passengers as far as 128 km.
For now, other details on the car are still scarce. Nevertheless, it is reported that we’ll see a concept previewed by BMW in 2017. The concept will reportedly borrow the styling cues visible on the next generation 7-Series and the BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe.
The German automaker is reportedly planning to build no less than 30,000 units of the BMW i5 or i7 per year and the car will cost below $100,000.
