BMW gives electric push, targets 5 models by 2021

KUALA LUMPUR: German luxury automobile manufacturer BMW is training its guns for hybrid and all-electric cars and will cut down on vehicles powered by internal combustion engines (ICEs). The company, in its recently released 2019 financial report, claimed that profits have gone up and that includes both its car and motorcycle division.

The Munich-headquartered company, in the report, revealed that it is in the process of significantly increasing its electric vehicle (EV) portfolio. The company intends to have more than one million plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles on the road. It already has the i3 high-roof hatchback while production of the all-electric MINI Cooper SE has begun at the Oxford workshop. BMW also plans to unveil the iX3, iNext, and the i4 by next year. All these cars are expected to be hauled by the company’s fifth-generation electric powertrain technology. The cars, however, will be assembled in multiple locations. While the iX3 will be manufactured at the Shenyang plant in China, the iNext will be assembled at BMW’s Dingolfing workshop in Germany. The i4 will be produced in Munich.

The Bavarian carmaker is targeting at least 25 EVs in its portfolio by 2023. It expects that the demand for hybrid and all-electric cars will rise by more than 25percent by 2025. Deliveries of BMW EVs, in 2017, reportedly jumped by 65.6 percent to 103,080 units. The company, in 2018, had announced that it will invest more in the research and development of EVs. It spent €6 billion and €7 billion in 2017 and 2018 respectively in this regard.

The MINI Cooper SEV was showcased in July 2019. The all-electric motor produces around 185 PS maximum power and 270 Nm peak torque. The car can reach 0-60kmph in 3.9 seconds, while it reaches 100 kmph in 7.3 seconds. The car, according to the World Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) returns a mileage of 25-270 kmpl from its 32.6kWh battery pack.
BMW sells 21 different car models in the Malaysian market. The BMW X5 2020 is expected to be launched in April. The 1 Series 5-door, priced at RM 185,800 is the cheapest BMW car sold in Malaysia.

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