Frankfurt Motor Show - The general consensus among motoring experts, although completely unconfirmed by BMW, is that the i Vision Dynamics concept on stage at the show will spawn a future electric sedan called the i5.
Naturally this model would slot into BMW’s EV range between the existing i3 hatch and i8 supercar, but with four doors and a boot it should appeal to a wider, environmentally conscious audience.
“BMW i is the innovation driver for the BMW Group. Here, visionary solutions and future-ready concepts become reality for the first time,” says BMW’s Klaus Fröhlich. “The BMW i Vision Dynamics allows us to show right now what another electric BMW might look like. And BMW has demonstrated its talent for turning visions into real life throughout its history.”
Details on the i Vision are scant, but BMW does say the car has an impressive range of up to 600km on a single charge, and performance figures are quoted at 4 seconds for the 0-100km test with a top speed of more than 200km/h.
But the unveiling of the i Vision Dynamics at the show was more about BMW’s plans for the future, and less about the car itself. As part of the brand’s NUMBER ONE>NEXT strategy (apologies for the capital letter and symbol overload, but this is how BMW puts it), there will be 25 models in BMW’s range with some sort of electrification by 2025, and of those 12 will be fully electric.
This announcement will be welcomed by fans of old-fashioned internal combustion power, because unlike Volvo, which has committed to an entire range of hybrid or electric vehicles by 2020, BMW seems to believe there’s still a future for conventional drivetrains.