BMW may be planning to launch an all-electric sedan later this year, purportedly in a bid to take on Tesla.
Unlike some other luxury car manufacturers, BMW was fairly early to the electric vehicle game. It seems the company now wants to double down on the growing interest in the sector with a brand new all-electric sedan – a first for the company.
According to a report by German publication Handelsblatt, BMW is set to introduce the new model at Germany’s Munich Auto Show in September. The car, it’s said, will have a range of at least 400 kilometres, and will be a spin-off of the existing 3-series range – that’s BMW’s most lucrative line.
The article states that the launch is “seen as a direct response” to the upcoming launch of Tesla’s Model 3, also an all-electric sedan. Tesla announced the Model 3 back in 2016, and plans to enter the car into production as soon as next month. As of May 2017, reservations for the $35,000 USD vehicle fell somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000, according to estimates.
Tesla Model 3
Thanks to the success of Tesla in recent years, motor giants are increasingly looking for new avenues through which to combat the Californian upstart.
BMW currently sells its entry level 3-series saloon car from a starting price of £25,740, although most models cost over £30,000. It’s likely that an all-electric version of any 3-series vehicle would cost at least as much as the standard version, and potentially more due to the increased costs associated with developing, manufacturing, and/or sourcing new parts. Retail pricing may need to be kept artificially low however, to better compete with Tesla’s offering.
Unfortunately, BMW has not made any official announcement on the matter, so take this report with due caution.
