BMW i Vision Dynamics concept-inspired i5 to spark new era of i cars

The BMW i Vision Dynamics will make production as the BMW i5 in 2021 — and it will usher in a new era of intense electrification across the BMW Group’s line-up.

Insiders say the launch of the third i-branded model has been made possible by breakthroughs in battery development. They add that the concept’s 0-62mph time of less than 4.0sec, a top speed in excess of 120mph and a zero-emission range of up to 372 miles are all realistic for production.

​Read more: In pictures - BMW's new electric '3 Series'

At 4800mm in length, 1933mm in width and 1387mm in height, the i Vision Dynamics is 167mm longer, 122mm wider and 42mm lower than today’s 3 Series. A long wheelbase also provides for short overhangs as part of an attempt to maximise interior space — something that is seen as a key advantage of the move to electric powertrains.

Various design cues are borrowed from the early Vision Next concept, which was revealed in 2016 as part of the German car maker’s 100th anniversary celebrations. Although it’s likely that many of the concept’s more flamboyant touches will be toned down for production, insiders have confirmed that early engineering work on the production version of the i Vision Dynamics has already begun.

BMW R&D boss Klaus Fröhlich said the resulting production car would spearhead a step change for the firm’s electric car strategy because of the battery and electric motor technology it will incorporate.

“It will feature our fifth-generation battery electric system — a step that will take us to the next level,” he said. “The breakthrough in energy density came last year and now we are well under way to productionising it. The remaining obstacles have been answered.”

The i5’s technology will play a central role in all of the BMW Group’s future electric plans, which it announced last week. It has committed to selling 25 electrified models by 2025, 12 of which will be fully electric. Although there has been no confirmation, insiders have hinted that this will include an electric derivative of a Rolls-Royce model, as well as a car based on the Mini Electric concept, also shown at the Frankfurt motor show, that will be launched in 2019.

BMW is investing €200 million (£181m) in a battery R&D facility so it can control the production and supply of its batteries in-house.

The i5 will also feature advanced new autonomous driving technology, although it is uncertain how much of it will be enabled. Fröhlich intimated that the goal was to launch the car with the capability to work at Level 3 or Level 4, which require differing types of human input depending on circumstances.