BMW planning further i models, but not SUV

BMW is planning a whole family of electrified models, but has ruled out releasing an SUV under its BMW i sub-brand.

Speaking at the launch of BMW's first i-car, the i3, this week in Amsterdam, project manager Roland Kowalski said further family members were now being developed, but an SUV wouldn't be among them.

The i3 goes on sale in Australia next July, will be followed by the i8 plug-in hybrid super-coupe next December.

The German car-maker will also release a plug-in hybrid version of the third-generation X5, which arrives here this month, to go with petrol-electric versions of the 3, 5 and 7 Series sedans.

BMW has trademarked model names ranging from i1 to i9 and Kowalski said the existing two-car i model range could potentially be expanded to include all nine possibilities.

"It may be possible, but for now we have the i3 and the i8," he said. "We're thinking about a few options. But we have time."

However, Kowalski said an SUV did not fit the BMW i brand.

"We're not thinking about SUV on i models. For BMW i we are talking about an urban concept for mega-cities [cities with more than 10 million residents].

"The thing with the SUVs is nobody, more than 90 per cent, needs four-wheel drive for the city.

"The SUV trend is only a thing about the space or the roominess. We think with i3 you also have a lot of space."

BMW says that despite riding on a wheelbase about as long as the 1 Series hatchback's, the four-metre-long i3 offers interior space comparable with the mid-size 3 Series sedan.

Starting with the i3 allows BMW to develop at least one smaller i model, and a number of larger i-cars positioned in both size and price between the i3 and the i8.

While the i3 is expected to be priced higher than the 3 Series from about $60,000 in Australia, the i8 will cost more than $200,000.

British magazine What Car? recently cited an inside sources as revealing BMW was investigating the a third i model called the i5, a larger and more spacious sedan or crossover model with plug-in capability.

The report stated BMW is yet to sign off on the i5 project, or whether it should be a conventional sedan or higher-riding crossover model like the 5 Series GT.

While the i3 will be available in both pure-electric and range-extender form and the i8 is a plug-in hybrid, the senior BMW source told What Car? all three powertrain options are being considered for the i5.

Like the i3 and i8, the i5 will remain rear-wheel drive and constructed almost exclusively from aluminium and carbonfibre-reinforced plastic.

It's believed Tesla's initial US sales success with its all-electric Model S sedan has convinced BMW to push ahead with a conceptually similar large electrified sedan next.

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