Among the numerous headlines emanating from this week’s Frankfurt Auto Show, the BMW Group is offering what the company describes as a look ahead to the “e-mobility experience of the future” with their i Vision Dynamics platform that includes the four-door Gran Coupe, and the latest i3 and i3s models.
While the i3 has been around since 2014, it's synchronous electric motor has been upgraded to provide 170 hp and 184 ft.-lbs. of torque in delivering a 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds. It can also hit a top speed of 93 mph. BMW also unveiled a more powerful version – the i3s – that can be equipped with a Range Extender for its 184 hp electric motor which churns out nearly 200 ft.-lbs. of torque.
While these are significant performance numbers for an electric vehicle, BMW sees the Gran Coupe as taking the mid-sized electric vehicle to a new level. It features a range of 373 miles, a top speed of 120 mph, and a 0-60 time of four seconds. It’s seen as the electric vehicle that can bridge the gap between the i3 city car the i8 sports car.
The Gran Coupe is also considered instrumental in realizing BMW’s NUMBER ONE > NEXT strategy. This strategy entails offering 25 vehicles with an electrified drive system by 2025 – at least a dozen of which will be solely reliant on electric power. Combining the efficiencies of an electric vehicle with BMW’s design legacy and vehicle-handling technology could reshape the expectations and persona of electric vehicles.
The Frankfurt show and its electric vehicle platform could also be critical for BMW as it looks to build momentum heading into 2018. U.S. sales numbers decreased 7.7 percent year-over-year in August. Year-to-date, BMW sales are down five percent when compared to 2016.