BMW i4 Confirmed For 2021, Will Become The Company’s Fifth Core Electric Vehicle

BMW Chairman Harald Krüger has used the Paris Motor Show to announce the i4 will be launched in 2021.

Originally confirmed at the Geneva Motor Show, the i4 will become BMW AG’s fifth “fully-electric core” vehicle. The other models include the updated BMW i3, the 2019 MINI Electric, the 2020 BMW iX3 and the production version of the iNEXT concept which will also arrive in 2021.

Krüger didn’t say much about the i4, but he has high hopes for the model as the company has already sold more than 100,000 electrified vehicles this year. That means there are now more than 300,000 electric and plug-in hybrids vehicles on the road which were produced by either BMW or MINI.

While BMW didn’t say much about the i4, the model was previewed by the i Vision Dynamics concept which debuted at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The concept had an electric powertrain which enabled the car to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in four seconds and hit a top speed in excess of 120 mph (200 km/h). The concept could also travel up to 373 miles (600 km) on a single charge.

For comparison, the updated BMW i3 120 Ah has a 42.2 kWh lithium-ion battery and an electric motor that develops 167 hp (125 kW / 170 PS) and 184 lb-ft (250 Nm) of torque. It enables the model to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 7.3 seconds before topping out at 93 mph (150 km/h). More importantly, the model can travel approximately 223 miles (359 km) on a single charge in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

Details about the i4 remain a mystery, but BMW’s e-mobility roadmap revealed the automaker’s Gen 5 electric vehicles will be offered with modular battery packs that have capacities of 60 kWh, 90 kWh and 120 kWh.

Note: BMW i Vision Dynamics concept pictured