News: BMW to Announce All-electric 3-Series as Tesla Competition Grows

| | , ,

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.

BMW 330e
BMW knows how to plug in

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

BMW 530e
BMW has the hardware to go head-to-head with Tesla

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.

Related Stories You Might Enjoy:

News: Tesla Model 3 Production Starts July 7

News: BMW Adds iPerformance Electrics to 5-Tier System

Buyer’s Guide: Tesla Model 3 Chevy bolt or 2016 EV?

Photo of author

Nick Zatopa

Nick Zatopa is a contributor at Clean Fleet Report. Nick is heavily into the modified car scene, but has become increasingly interested in performance electric and hybrid vehicles. A graduate of the University of San Francisco with a degree in Media Studies, he has also worked in the automotive industry.
Previous

First Drive: 2017 Land Rover Discovery Td6

Comparison Road Test: 2017 Volkswagen SportWagen & Alltrack

Next

1 thought on “News: BMW to Announce All-electric 3-Series as Tesla Competition Grows”

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.