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RPM TV Website | March 25, 2024

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BMW to supplement i range with i5

BMW i8
Adam Schoeman

BMW might not be having as much success with the i3 as three had originally hoped, but that hasn’t stopped them from furthering the line.

According to sources, BMW is investigating the possibility of adding another number to the i range, and this time it looks, unsurprisingly that it will be a 5.

The i5 is expected to tackle family motoring with a hybrid twist, unlike the ultra-urban commuter i3 and exotic sports i8, but it will have a lot more in common with the i8 than the i3.

The i3 was built as a plug-in electric car only, and later received the option of including a two-cylinder motorcycle engine that could act as a range extender, charging the batteries while you drove.

The i8 on the other hand is a plug-in hybrid, which allows the the three-cylinder 1,5-litre petrol engine to also help the electric motor produce peak power.

The i8 has been far more popular than the i3 so it is no real surprise that BMW will be following that architecture in the i5, although from early estimates it does seem that they have taken in one step further.

Sources close to the project have said that they are expecting the i5 to produce an estimated 477 kW of peak power from its hybrid powertrain. Thats enough to make the mighty M5 whimper, but the i5 is at a distinct advantage as it will have three ‘engines’.

The first would be a 162 kW turbocharged petrol engine that would be linked to the front wheels, along with a 112 kW electric motor. The third and most powerful motor will be another electric unit that will be linked to the rear wheels and will produce 203 kW.

On electric power alone and with the most frugal of right feet, you should be able to travel up to 125km on a full charge.

The i5 is also expected to look more like the i8, but with four-doors, a i8 Gran Coupé of sorts.

This is all very much speculation at this point and could deb nothing more than sketches on the back of a napkin, but if it is true then this is the sort of hybrid that we can sink our teeth into.

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