So far BMW is the leading German car manufacturer with respect to the sale of battery-electric vehicles. All the three German automakers are planning to launch plug-in hybrid models for a majority of their lineup in five years time. For the past two years, BMW has been marketing its i3 hatchback in substantially huge volumes. Recently, there have been numerous speculations regarding the release of the next set of battery-electric cars by BMW, amidst other car manufacturers such as Porsche and Audi announcing their plans to manufacture electric cars through the year 2018. There is a high likelihood that the BMW model in question will be referred to as the i5, which may arrive in late 2017 or early 2018.

The reports concerning the kind of vehicle the BMW i5 will be have been slightly conflicting, though most reports indicate that it will be a small-sized, all electric crossover larger than the current i3. It has also been speculated that the car will be a sedan, plug-in hybrid. According to Now Automobile, a fully electric sedan will follow BMW’s 2018 i5. The magazine further adds that the new sedan will be about the same size as the current 3-series by BMW and may be referred to as the i6. If the magazine’s reports are to go by, the contradictory speculations concerning a small-sized electric sedan would be neatly resolved.

The basis of BMW i6 will be a component of a flat floor that is specifically made for electric vehicles and comprises of numerous carbon-fiber pieces and bits. This information was revealed further in the reports by the magazine. There will be a minimum of two motors in the electric sedan, and perhaps up to four motors. Additionally, novel all lithium-polymer cells may be utilized by the sedan in the battery pack. The i6 model in question is likely to enter production in mid 2020 as suggested by Automobile, implying that it will be a 2021 car model. This is interesting considering the fact that by the year 2010 BMW will have an updated plug-in hybrid range from the current 15-20 miles. This means that the range of i6 will be two times or higher than the current one. It is clearly evident that the future of BMW gears towards electrification. However, with respect to range, much will not be seen till the arrival of i5 in the next few years. As from 2021 it will be interesting to watch the sales’ balance between fully electric and eDrive plug-in cars.