Pure-electric BMW iNEXT due in 2021 to be ‘i’ brand flagship

BMW has released a teaser image of its upcoming i-brand flagship ahead of the concept’s debut later this year.

Called the BMW iNEXT, the pure-electric SUV will become the halo model of BMW’s i sub-brand of zero-emission vehicles when it enters production in 2021. Said to incorporate all major strategic areas of technology and innovation in a BMW road-ready vehicle, the iNEXT will be built at the Dingolfing plant in Germany, BMW Group’s largest vehicle production site in Europe.

At the concept’s unveiling during the company’s annual general meeting today, Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said: “TheiNEXT project is our building kit for the future. It will benefit the entire company and all our brands. For the first time, we are combining all key technologies for future mobility in one vehicle. The iNEXT is fully electric, fully connected and also offers highly automated driving.

“Today, we gave our shareholders a very first glimpse of the design of the BMW iNEXT. Later this year, we will be presenting the BMW iNEXT as a Vision Vehicle.”
Mr Krueger is promising “fifth-generation battery technology” in iNEXT that will enable “an increased range of about 700 kilometres”. The iNext platform is also set to be built on a modular platform described as “a bit like Lego” by Mr Krueger.

The iNext will feature Level 3 self-driving technologies, which allows for autonomous driving in highway conditions. The systems are currently being refined and developed in-house at BMW’s driverless research centre near Munich.

Electrification and autonomous driving are currently two major focuses of BMW, as the brand aims to offer 25 electrified models in its line-up, 12 of which will be pure-electric vehicles, by 2025.