BMW’s plan to flood the market with electric cars
involves launching a battery-powered version of the 1-Series that will be
marketed as the i1. The full electric i1 could arrive in the market as early as 2021,
according to Auto Express which had a chat with BMW i boss Robert Irlinger.
BMW’s EV strategy is to keep its battery electric
vehicles visually similar to their ICE-powered counterparts. The German car
maker’s upcoming i4 will be the EV sibling to the 4-Series while the iX3
retains the same bodywork with the regular X3, so to expect the i1 to be a
1-Series with a blanked-off front grille isn’t that far-fetched.
The electric hatch could also offer the option of
two electric motors, making it essentially all-wheel driven in addition to the
more affordable front-driven version powered by just one motor.
