When the BMW i3 and BMW i8 launched in 2013, the Bavarian carmaker led the way among luxury firms with the electrification of its models.
Fast forward almost four years and BMW seems to be behind the pace. It won’t launch its next all-electric model, the i5, until early next decade, behind competition from Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz.
In the meantime, BMW won’t delay the further electrification of its range and will have hybrid variants of all its mainstream models on the market in the coming years, according to a report from Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.
Hybrid derivatives of the 3-Series, 7-Series and X5 are already available and deliveries of the hybrid 530e will commence soon. It is thought that the next-generation X3 SUV will also receive a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
After the company completes its hybrid range, its attention will turn to the iNext project and the roll-out of electric powertrains to existing models.
The first of these will be the i5. The model is expected to have a 110 kWh battery pack and be capable of travelling 550 km (341 miles) on a single charge in standard form and up to 750 km (466 miles) in an upgraded version.
After the i5, it is speculated that the 3-,5- and 7-Series models will all adopt electric powertrains with a range of at least 500 km. Once they’ve launched, the new X3 should get an all-electric variant, too.
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