New BMW iX3 electric SUV REVEALED - Range, specs and release date

BMW has pulled the wraps off the new electric-powered iX3 SUV at Auto China 2018.

Ahead of the public debut in Beijing, the car was kept staunchly under wraps by the German carmaker, with just one image of the car’s new kidney grille design released.

At the front of the car, the new grille not only shows the car’s affiliation to the BMW i brand, but also shows a mild departure in style language.

BMW has closed the kidney grille to reduce air resistance and improve the car’s aerodynamics.

It has also been linked it in the middle and is accentuated in blue, a common motif among electric cars, similar to the way the i Vision Dynamics concept car does.

These blue accents continue across the car’s body on the side skirts and rear diffuser, both of which are also finished in gloss black, as is the front grille, which acts as a direct contrast to the Moonstone Silver matt exterior paint finish.

It has also been fitted with light alloy wheels, which have been designed for aerodynamically optimised design to improve the car’s range.

While by design it is an electric car it doesn’t suffer from some of the design drawbacks of some EVs such as the Hyundai Kona’s front grille or the unusual first iteration of the Nissan Leaf, as it for the most part it just looks like a subtly modified X3.

It is a fully-fledged Sports Activity Vehicle and should offer the same level of practicality as the combustion-powered variant, if not a little more with the battery pack mounted to the floor, freeing up room inside the cabin.

The car also debut is the fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology which is a system that groups together the electric motor, transmission and power electronics within a new, separate electric drive component.

This system is said to bring ‘considerable advances in terms of performance characteristics, operating range, weight, packaging space and flexibility.’

In addition to this, grouping the components together is also said to reduce production costs and be something that is transferable between multiple platforms, alluding to a modular, scalable system for bigger or smaller electric cars in the company’s future range.

Powering the new iX3 will be a 200 kW/270 hp electric motor and a WLTP range of more than 400 kilometres (249 miles), which is a competitive amount of range.

When hooked up to a 150kWh fast charger, the high voltage battery can be charged in just 30 minutes.

It is slated to go on sale in 2020.