After the i8 hybrid sports car and the i3 hatchback, the BMW i5 electric car will be the German automaker's third green car. It will reportedly come as an electric car or a plug-in hybrid and is scheduled for production in 2019.
A report from Automobile Magazine revealed as much last month. The EV will reportedly have a 225 HP motor at the back and a 135 HP motor up front. On the other hand, the plug-in has a more powerful 275 HP rear motor and a three or four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. Torque vectoring all-wheel drive will supposedly be standard on the i5.
The BMW i5 will supposedly slot in between the i3 and i8 "by delivering four-door, four-passenger practicality in an EV package without being astronomically expensive."
"It's safe to assume the i5 will be priced to compete with the Tesla Model S, which the i5 will have squarely in its sights."
Australian website Motoring claimed the BMW i5 electric car will use a lithium battery specific with the car itself sharing the same materials as the i3.
"We wouldn't expect a pure carbon car, though, with sources indicating a mix of aluminum and carbon, like BMW employs in the i3, which is more economical and therefore more likely."
This would result in an electric vehicle that can seat five people and have "the full luxury spec you'd expect of a 5 series" but keep its weight below 1,600 kgs.
Earlier this year in April, BMW Blog picked up a report from German magazine Autobild that said the i5 will be based on the long wheelbase version of the 5 Series sedan sold in China. The rumored electric car will take design cues from the upcoming 7 Series and the 6 Series Gran Coupe.
The publication estimates a price tag of around 100,000 Euros. The BMW i5 electric car is expected to start production in 2019 - that is if the automaker's execs don't axe former BMW boss Norbert Reithofer's project.
