Planned to Compete with Tesla Model 3
It’s no secret that Tesla is a leader in luxury electric vehicles and is looking to compete directly with the European auto giants. Until recently, it seemed that BMW was not overly concerned with this start-up competition from across the pond.
The Bavarian attitude may be changing. According to a report in Handelsblatt, a German newspaper, BMW plans to unveil an all new, fully electric, version of its flagship 3-Series at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.
This report comes as Tesla has just begun deliveries of its new, highly anticipated, Model 3; a direct competitor for BMW’s 3-Series. Tesla claims to have deposits for almost 400,000 units and its hopes to reach annual production in close to those numbers within a year. In comparison, BMW sold just over 70,000 of its 3-Series variants (which include a plug-in hybrid) last year in the U.S.
Details Sketchy
The 3-Series EV should have a range of 400 km (248 miles), according to Handelsblatt, but these numbers likely come from the optimistic NEDC test cycle. An EPA estimate would most likely put 3-Sseries EV range at around 200-215 miles; almost exactly the same as the Model 3’s estimated range.
Pretty much all numbers concerning the BMW 3-Series EV are still conjecture, and no dates have yet been confirmed, but if true BMW’s new electric offering could enter the U.S. as early as 2019.
If it does, it will be interesting to see if BMW can compete with the Model 3’s $35,000 starting price point, as the current BMW 330e plug-in hybrid starts at around $44,000.
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