[JorgenM]

Recap of BMWs electric plans:
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/sh...bmws-due-2025/

Personally very dissappointed if the i3X comes as RWD only...

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by JorgenM

Recap of BMWs electric plans:
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/sh...bmws-due-2025/

Personally very dissappointed if the i3X comes as RWD only...

I broke this into its own thread because it is likely to generate a significant amount of discussion, and deservedly so. Whether or not all of these details are accurate, it is great to at least hear some possibilities as to what BMW is going to do to unify their electric vehicle strategy and up their game.

Some of these products sound like winners. Others, not so convincingly.

I think the i4 is one of the promising ones, as is the "i3" electric 3 Series. The fact that the Frankfurt i Vision Dynamics concept was based on CLAR is a bit of a surprise, but it makes perfect sense. In fact, using CLAR to its fullest to build more EVs today rather than in a decade makes great sense. However, I do hope they continue to evolve the toward the use of fully CFRP body shells and chassis components. They need to further this work because its likely to be pursued by competitors. Hopefully, as CLAR evolves it can continue to accommodate some of the advancements and lessons learned.

I definitely agree with you that the lack of AWD for the electric X3 is disappointing if true. Obviously AWD would add weight and drivetrain friction, both of which decrease range. That said, while they are somewhat a rarity today, I suspect that AWD electric vehicles are going to become big over the next five years. Although Tesla is a hype machine whose financial viability is in question, technologically, they do have the goods. It's worth mentioning that they don't seem to have trouble offering both good range and AWD in the same package. It will take others time to catch up, but BMW needs to be on the leading edge of the race or other big players are going to make the road to a profitable EV program much harder. On the plus side, the article does mention AWD for some of the other vehicles, so this limitation for the initial BMW products will probably go away by early next decade.

While the naming part is still speculative (and probably still being discussed internally within BMW), I think the author is on the right track. Per comments made by BMW officials recently (I think it was at Frankfurt), we knew the "i" label was going to be worn in some way not just by "i" vehicles but even by electric versions of traditional series BMWs. This strategy may be difficult to navigate during the transition period, but is probably necessary for the brand's success. What may be even more challenging in the interim is managing the overlap between traditional and "i" vehicles.

And of course the McLaren tie-in for a new high end sports car, if true, is something almost everyone can get excited about. More exciting to me, though, would be to see the McLaren engine replace the N63 and S63 throughout the BMW lineup. I think that would put BMW in a great place to compete against VAG and Mercedes going forward. The V8s we see today - at least the V8 families - are likely to be the last ever. VAG has even said exactly that about their (relatively) new Porsche-developed 4L V8. BMW's V8 family dates back to the 80s and developing a brand new one would be costly. If they can switch to the the McLaren architecture, they'll immediately have the right engine to compete until V8s are completely phased out (probably two decades or so). McLaren has already been tapped by BMW to help boost power and efficiency of their turbocharged engines, so a further agreement to share the V8 would make sense. Also, McLaren knows a thing or two about CFRP and that knowledge could be valuable to BMW too. Furthermore, it is even conceivable that McLaren would use BMW I6, I4, or even I3 engines in future products.

Thanks for posting this article. I'm sure that at least some of it is rooted in inside information. It's great that we are finally getting some bites of data to start building an understanding of where things are going for BMW's electrified lineup in the long term.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

I broke this into its own thread because it is likely to generate a significant amount of discussion, and deservedly so.

LOL, well, I guess I was wrong. No one gives a rats arse.