Anticipated Design of BMW i3 Touring Unveiled: Reflecting Electric Vision

Anticipated Design Reflecting Electric Vision of BMW 3 Series Touring Unveiled
What Predictions Did Local Media Make?

While the first electric car in the history of the 5 Series, the i5, has been receiving positive responses, the wagon version, the i5 Touring, was recently unveiled. In Europe, wagons, which combine the advantages of sedans and SUVs, are popular, so the local automakers are picking up the pace to build electric wagon lineups.

Previously, BMW unveiled a concept car, Vision Neue Klasse, which embodies the company’s electric vision. It is known that BMW’s future pure electric vehicles will follow this concept. Then, what would the electric model of the 3 Series i3, especially the Touring version, look like?

Neue Klasse Concept Applied
Emblem Lighting System Installed?

German automotive media Auto Bild released a rendering of the BMW i3 Touring on the 19th. This is another model in addition to the compact electric car i3, launched in 2013, and belongs to the electric position of the 3 Series Touring. According to the media, this new car is highly likely to reflect many design elements from the Vision Neue Klasse concept car.

First, let’s look at the back. The taillights are in the horizontal garnish, and the diagonal lighting design is in sync with the headlights. As Volkswagen had tried before, the possibility of applying emblem lighting that lights up with the rear lights was reflected. A spoiler that reduces the turbulence unique to the notchback body is applied to the roof.

Reinterpreted Kidney Grill
What Are Expected for Performance Figures?

The kidney grill is horizontally wider and integrated into a panel with the headlights. This design trick minimizes the visual absence of the existing internal combustion grill while not departing from BMW’s original identity. The grooves that extend from the bonnet to the center of the front bumper enhance the grill’s unity.

Auto Bild also presented estimated powertrain specifications in addition to the design. Although nothing is known, it is predicted to have an output in the 200-500 horsepower range. It also explained that it could aim for less than 15 kWh of power consumption per 100 km and a driving range of 500 km (WLTP standard).

Expect Minimal Interior Configuration
Starts Production in 2025

The interior is also expected to have a configuration suitable for pure electric vehicles. Given that it is based on electric vehicle architecture, a flat interior floor, and floating center console are expected, and it is likely to have a minimal concept layout as previewed in the concept car. The possibility of applying Panoramic Vision, which projects driving information across the entire windshield without a dashboard, is also mentioned.

Meanwhile, the Neue Klasse production car will be released in 2025. It will be produced without using fossil fuels in a new factory built in Hungary. BMW plans to expand its lineup by launching six more electric vehicles based on this platform within two years.