BMW boss teases new i car

BMW’s CEO Harold Krueger has kicked off wild speculation that the Bavarian car-maker is secretly working on a new i model that will rival the Tesla Model S.

The rumours come from remarks Krueger made in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung when the BMW boss was asked whether he was planning any new models.

Krueger replied that there could be room within the i sub-brand's range, hinting heavily that a new model could be positioned between the small i3 hatchback and the i8 supercar.

"There is space if you look at it from the number point of view”, said Krueger cagily, before refusing to give any further details.

This remark adds to existing industry gossip that BMW is desperate to cash in and steal sales from the Model S, for which it's reported to be planning a direct rival by 2019.

If true, the new i model will almost certainly be called the i5.

With little information to go on, it’s not clear whether the i5 would be based on next-generation 5 Series underpinnings or it would stay true to the i-car formula and, like the i3 and i8, be based on a lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque.

Current thinking is the i5 will be based on the former to help it go head-to-head with the Tesla Model S on cost. The range of the pure-electric BMW, meanwhile, will need to be at least 500km between charges.

Like the BMW i3, any Tesla rival is expected to be available as both a pure electric vehicle and a range-extender hybrid that uses a small conventional petrol engine to generate electricity to charge the battery.

The news that Krueger is teasing an electric vehicle also follows reports by German magazine, Manager Magazin, that BMW and Apple have been involved in secret talks to base the new Apple iCar on the current BMW i3.

Speaking to Manager Magazin, Krueger would only confirm BMW was in regular contact with Apple as well as many other tech companies.