Long-Awaited BMW iNext To Have An Impressive 360 Miles Of Range

The BMW iNext has been a long time coming and the German car manufacturer will look to ensure it’s been worth the wait when it hits the production line in 2021.

Underpinning the all-electric SUV will be BMW’s new common platform that supports petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, and fully-electric powertrains. BMW once claimed the iNext would have a range exceeding 435 miles (700 km) and earlier this year lowered that estimate to a claimed 373 miles (600 km). Auto Express reports that this range figure will likely be verified under WLTP testing at 360 miles (579 km).

Providing the car with such an impressive range will be a battery pack larger than any of the iNext’s competition from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Tesla. It is reported that the battery pack could be up to 120 kWh in capacity.

Also Read: BMW Testing New Techniques For The Production Of The Electric iNext SUV

In addition, the iNext will debut with the most advanced semi-autonomous driving technologies that BMW has ever developed.

Back in August it was announced that BMW is building up to 100 iNext prototypes at its Dingolfing plant and testing out a number of innovative production solutions including one dubbed ‘rotary bonding.’ This process sees BMW join aluminum with high-strength steel sections by using the friction heat generated when a steel element pierces the aluminum part, allowing the two to be fused together.

Recent spy shots have indicated that the iNext will be similar in size to the current BMW X5 and when it reaches the production line, may actually be dubbed the iX5.