BMW Says It Will Be Able to Offer EVs with 435-Mile Range by 2021

Today, BMW released a report that recaps 2017 and outlines its plans for the next several years. Expect more details to come, but for now, it sounds like BMW’s future will include a lot of autonomous technology and electric vehicles.

By 2025, BMW says it will have expanded its hybrid and electric lineup to include 25 different models. Its next EV will be the all-electric iX3 crossover that goes on sale in 2020. By 2021, BMW promises it will have the technology to offer EVs with a 435-mile range, as well as plug-in hybrids with all-electric ranges of 62 miles.

The report also mentioned the upcoming electric Mini that we first saw last summer, as well as the production version of the i Vision Dynamics concept. Pictured above, the i Vision Dynamics concept was an evolution of the Vision Next 100 concept that BMW created to celebrate its 100th anniversary. We know it will be called the i4 when it goes into production, but BMW hasn’t said when that will be or how the powertrain will differ. When we first saw the i Vision Dynamics concept, it promised a 373-mile range, a 120-mile top speed, and a 0-60 time of less than four seconds.

This year, BMW will also spend even more money on research and development than it did in 2017. That includes a several-hundred-million-dollar investment in autonomous vehicles and other electric mobility technology. Total R&D spending could even top $8.6 billion (€ 7 billion).

BMW knows it’s a risky move that could impact profits, but according to Nicolas Peter, BMW’s head of finance, the “strategy is driven by the desire to achieve long-term sustainable profitability.” It may also be a necessary risk if BMW wants to achieve its goal of dethroning Mercedes-Benz from the top luxury sales spot by 2020.

Source: BMW

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