BMW is in vogue late to the party of electric SUVs, but the iX3 is finally on the verge of breaking coverage in production appearance. Intended for a namesake concept more than two years ago at the Beijing Auto Show, the X3’s zero-emission derivative is celebrating its world premiere today before going into production in China.
The showcar, camouflaged prototypes, and all of the advancements released by BMW showed that the design won’t stray too far from the conventionally powered compact crossover. It should be almost the same story with the interior, as we don’t expect the cabin to stray too far from the ICE-powered X3.
BMW-style, the iX3 will be available in the form of a rear-wheel drive with a single electric motor that will send 282 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque to the rear wheels. The electric crossover will use the company’s fifth-generation eDrive technology, which will also be adopted by i4 and iNext next year.
All of these EVs will integrate the electric motor, transmission, and electronics into a central housing to improve packaging and reduce weight compared to previous configurations developed by BMW, while eliminating the need for rare earth materials. The 74 kWh battery pack will offer over 440 kilometers (273 miles) of range in the WLTP cycle.
17 Photos
By introducing an EV version of its popular crossover, BMW is making the X3 its first production model to be offered with gasoline, diesel, hybrid and electric power. It will go into series production later this year in Shenyang, China at the joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive.
In an interview with BMWBLOG, a spokesman for the automaker said there are no immediate plans to bring the iX3 to the United States. BMWBLOG speculates it might have something to do with the relatively limited range and lack of xDrive.
