BMW iX3, iNext and i4 still two years away
RHD markets to see electric SUV rollout commence mid 2021, with i4 following soon afterBMW has revealed that it won't begin shipping its high-profile new electric vehicles to right-hook markets like Australia before mid-2021.
And plans for the BMW EVs to launch in Australia are far from fixed at this stage, although word from the importer suggests the upcoming EVs will go on sale locally at some point.
"BMW Group Australia is interested in all future electrified models that are currently in development and we will announce our plans relating to their local launch activity in due course," says BMW's local Product Communications Manager, Nick Raman.
In conversation with carsales, Raman also said that it was "certainly too early to be talking price" for the three vehicles, the Chinese-built BMW iX3, the i4 sedan and the iNext 'crossover' SUV.
In the case of the BMW iX3, the delay bringing the EV to market allows Mercedes-Benz time to build up a strong sales base for its EQC, with that vehicle pencilled in for a late 2019 launch date in Australia.
Likewise, the BMW iNext – Munich's answer to the Jaguar i-PACE – will be late to market. The Jaguar has sold 117 units in Australia for the first eight months of 2019. That's about seven per cent of total Jaguar sales for the year to date. At present, the i-PACE has the field all to itself.
The BMW i4, a mid-size all-electric sedan with a low roofline, won't be ready to launch in right-hand drive markets until the latter half of 2021. As with the two SUVs, the i4's arrival will be well after the debut of one obvious direct competitor in the local market, the Tesla Model 3.
However, BMW will be banking on the competitive specification and pricing for the new cars to peg back each respective rival's lead. The manufacturer claims the iX3 will travel 400km before its battery needs recharging and expects the i4 and iNext to go even further – up to 600km. Those figures have been calculated in accordance with WLTP procedures. Testing has revealed that the i4 can reach a top speed of 200km/h and complete a 0-100km/h acceleration run in just four seconds.
The three BMWs are the vanguard for a wave of 12 new electric cars from Munich between now and 2025.
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