Even as carmakers pull back some new products in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BMW Group is pushing ahead with its electrification strategy, confirming plans to release the BMW iX3 by the end of 2020.
Production of the BMW first pure electric model will get underway at the BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture in China in late summer, according to an announcement by the German automaker.
“We are right on schedule with our BMW iX3 pre-production vehicles and will launch standard production in late summer, using state-of-the-art technologies such as custom installation of the new high-voltage battery and artificial intelligence for monitoring parts,” said Robert Küssel, BBA Plant Director Dadong.
(BMW offers insight on iX3, its first long-range electric range SUV.)
“We are also producing the fully electric BMW iX3 and the BMW X3 with (an internal) combustion engine on the same production line. This enables us to achieve high efficiency and flexibility in production,” Küssel said.
The plant in Shenyang will build the first Sports Activity Vehicle with a pure electric drivetrain for the global market, BMW said. Prior to this, BMW’s SAVs had been solely produced at the company’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. BBA has been building BMW iX3 pre-production vehicles at Plant Dadong in Shenyang since the middle of 2019.
With a range of around 440 kilometers, or 273 miles, in the WLTP test cycle (preliminary data), the BMW iX3 paves the way for BMW eDrive technology, which will also be used in BMW i4 and BMW iNEXT models from 2021 on.
(BMW unplugs range-extending i3Rex.)
With the introduction of BMW iX3, the BMW Group is adding another fully electric vehicle to its portfolio that will not only tap into new customer groups, but also arrives on the market at a time when demand for electric vehicles is expanding significantly.
The electric new electric vehicle is based on the BMW X3 and combines the versatility and robust functionality of a premium midsize sport-utility vehicle with groundbreaking drive technology for locally emission-free driving pleasure.
The BMW X3 is the brand’s first model available with gasoline and diesel engines, a plug-in hybrid system or a pure electric drivetrain. The “Power of Choice” approach allows the company to respond to the needs and wants of its customers and emissions mandates of governments.
(All BMW models to be electric by 2030.)
The BMW iX3 already comes with fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology, including a drive unit with the electric engine, power electronics and transmission highly integrated into a central housing, which size of the drive technology relative to output and offers added flexibility for installing new electric powertrain components in different vehicle derivatives.
(Read our review of the best BMW Extended Warranty options)
