from Motor Week, August 6, 2018
BMW will continue to provide as many models in each segment as possible over the next few years.
In electric vehicles alone, BMW plans to roll out a dozen full-electric vehicles by the middle of the next decade.
BMW will introduce the iNEXT battery-electric crossover and the i4 four-door electric coupe in 2021. A battery-electric variant of the X3 crossover will go into production in 2020.
BMW also will add to the half-dozen crossovers it offers. Early next year, BMW’s long-awaited large crossover — the X7 — will go on sale in the U.S.
Here’s a summary of what’s expected model by model:
2 series: BMW will turn to front- and all-wheel drive for a new four-door variant of the 2-series Gran Coupe coming in the first half of 2020. It will be built on the same platform that underpins the Mini lineup and the smaller non-U.S. 1-series sedan.
The Gran Coupe — a four-door with coupe-like styling — will be sold globally and is expected to be offered with three- and four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. In the U.S., a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission is likely to be the only powertrain offered.
3 series: The redesigned 3-series sedan will go on sale in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2019. An M performance version likely will appear in the second half of 2019. The 3-series Gran Turismo is expected to be discontinued.
i3: The compact battery-electric car was freshened in late 2017 and received a larger battery and greater driving range. A new generation of the i3 could arrive in the first half of 2024.
4 series: The coupe and convertible will be redesigned — the coupe in the second half of 2020 and the convertible in the first half of 2021. A redesign of the four-door Gran Coupe is expected in the second half of 2021. A mild-hybrid (48-volt) version of the 4 series will follow the redesign. Plug-in hybrid and full-electric versions of the Gran Coupe also are possible.
Z4: A redesigned Z4 could go on sale in the first quarter of 2019. It is to debut in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Two versions will be offered initially: Z4 30i and Z4 M40i. With a new lightweight platform, the Z4 is expected to grow and get updated engines. A fabric roof will replace the car’s retractable hardtop.
i4: The EV will launch in the first half of 2021 with an EPA range of about 300 miles on a full charge. The four-door coupe is based on the i Vision Dynamics concept unveiled in September at the Frankfurt auto show. The i4 will be based on BMW’s CLAR cluster architecture, a lightweight modular system.
5 series: The 5 series is due for a freshening in the first half of 2020 and a redesign in the second half of 2023. The sixth-generation 2018 M5 sport sedan went on sale this spring. It features a new M xDrive awd system that can be turned off to allow rwd operation. In July, BMW began production of a faster variant — the 2019 M5 Competition — which boosts the horses to 617 from 591.
6 series: The 2018 BMW 6-series GT is offered in one trim: the 640i xDrive, powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter, inline-six gasoline engine producing 335 hp and 332 pound-feet of torque. The 6-series Gran Coupe will be discontinued in mid-2019.
7 series: The 7 series is getting a freshening, including powertrain improvements, next year. The 7-series sedan will be redesigned in the second half of 2022.
8 series: BMW will reintroduce the 8-series coupe, the first new 8 series in 20 years, with the 2019 M850i xDrive awd variant. The latest 8 series is powered by a new version of BMW’s TwinPower Turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engine that generates 523 hp and 553 pound-feet of torque. It features an oversized version of BMW’s dual kidney grille with adjustable slats and large air intakes at the corners. The LED headlights are the slimmest in BMW’s lineup.
The coupe will go on sale in the U.S. in the fourth quarter and a convertible will go on sale in the second quarter of 2019. An M8 performance version has been confirmed for the first half of 2020. An 8-series Gran Coupe variant also is expected in late 2019, and a plug-in hybrid version could arrive in 2021.
2019 BMW M850i xDrive starts at 112895 CAR NEWS 2019 BMW M850i xDrive starts at $112,895BMW’s big coupe is back. The new 8-series will make its return to the U.S. on Dec. 8 this year. The awkwardly named M850i xDrive will be the first variant of the new 8-series offered, and it …
i8: BMW freshened the i8 coupe for the 2019 model year and it will be joined by the new i8 roadster. Total output increased to 369 hp, up 12 hp from the previous model year. The coupe and roadster are expected to be redesigned in 2022, when they could move to full electric.
iNEXT: A planned extension of the i sub-brand previously called the i5 has morphed into the iNEXT. BMW says it will introduce the iNEXT battery-electric crossover in the second half of 2021. It will have semiautonomous driving capabilities and a range of more than 310 miles on a full charge, according to Autoweek.
X1: The small crossover will be freshened in early 2019. It’s slated for a redesign for a U.S. launch in the second half of 2022.
X2: BMW is positioning the new X2 as a sportier alternative to the X1. The X2 is shorter and lower than the X1, with a different face. The X2 xDrive28i, the awd debut model, arrived in U.S. dealerships this spring, powered by a 228-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. A redesign is expected in 2024.
X3: Now in its third generation, the X3 crossover generally maintains its overall exterior dimensions, although the wheelbase has grown 2.2 inches. The X3 gets lighter, more powerful and more efficient with better handling and driving dynamics.
iX3: The battery-electric variant of the X3 is expected to have a 270-hp electric motor and a 70 kilowatt-hour battery delivering a range of 250 miles. The iX3 could go into production in the second quarter of 2020.
X4: In addition to receiving new engines, the second-generation X4 becomes lighter, more efficient and roomier. The 2019 X4 xDrive30i is powered by a new turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 248 hp, up from 240 hp for the engine in the outgoing 28i. The 2019 X4 M40i is powered by a new turbocharged 3.0-liter, six-cylinder engine producing 355 hp.
X5: The crossover receives a redesign in the second half of 2018. It will be larger than its predecessor with extra passenger and cargo room, and offer an off-road package for the first time in a BMW light truck.
X6: The midsize crossover with coupe-like styling will be redesigned and go on sale in the U.S. in the second half of 2019.
X7: BMW’s long-awaited large crossover will go on sale in the U.S. at the end of the first quarter of 2019. The X7 will come in six- and eight-cylinder models. A $100,000-plus four-seater, possibly with a 12-cylinder engine, has been discussed.
BMW: Whats’s new and what’s coming
BMW will continue to provide as many models in each segment as possible over the next few years. In electric vehicles alone, BMW plans to roll out a dozen full-electric vehicles by the middle of the next decade. BMW will introduce the iNEXT battery-electric crossover and the i4 four-door electric coupe in 2021.
