2020 BMW iX3 Press Images Leaked, Europe Launch Soon?

• It has a 74kWh battery good for a WLTP claimed 440km of range.
• Powered by a 286PS-400Nm electric motor.
• Debuts BMW’s eDrive technology which will propel the i4 and iNEXT cars in 2021.
• The world market iX3 will be produced in Shenyang, China.

An Instagram user has leaked images of the production-spec BMW iX3 electric vehicle (EV). The carmaker had announced in December last year that it would commence the iX3’s production in 2020. The electric SUV has a 286PS motor. It will be the first car to feature BMW’s latest eDrive technology, which will be used on the upcoming 2021 i4 and iNEXT EVs.

BMW has equipped the iX3 with a 74kWh battery. The carmaker claims a range of 440km on the World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). The iX3 has an NMC-811 battery which can take up to 150kW of DC fast charging. When plugged into a 150kW charger, it can be juiced up in 30 minutes.

A single electric motor drives the rear wheels. It puts out 286PS of power and 400Nm of torque -- similar torque but 94PS more power than the India-spec X3 20d. BMW claims a WLTP-tested power consumption of 20kWh/100km, which is 2.2kW/100km lower than that of the Mercedes EQC.

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We expect to see the SUV’s first launch in Europe once the coronavirus pandemic is under control. In Germany, the government has begun to ease the lockdown. BMW had stated in its December release that the world-market iX3 will be produced in Shenyang, China, at the carmaker’s BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture production facility.

Will the BMW iX3 come to India? There is no word yet from the company. We recently received the Mercedes EQC, and BMW is likely to gauge the market response to the EV and predict its success with the iX3. The coronavirus pandemic and the declining global economy is likely to delay any possibility of the iX3 coming to India.

At the earliest, expect to see the SUV in late-2022, if BMW chooses to launch it in the country. The iX3 will likely carry a hefty premium over its internal combustion sibling which costs Rs 56 lakh to Rs 60.90 lakh (ex-showroom).

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