Berlin - BMW is planning a roomy five-door big brother to its all-electric i3 runabout, German magazine Auto Motor und Sport reports.
The chunky new car will be a high-riding crossover and its design has already been approved by the top BMW hierarchy, said the report.
The new model is likely to go down well in the vital Chinese market and would rival the new Tesla X SUV. Introduction of the i5 has been pencilled in for 2021, but it may come sooner, said the magazine.
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Top BMW executives earlier rejected a standard four-door saloon as a future stablemate to the pure electric i3. A zero-emission version of the current 3 Series, which uses conventional powertrains, also failed to convince the board.
The new i5 is set to get the same sort of advanced tech seen in the i3 and i8 sports-car, plus the latest in autonomous driving and connectivity.
Analysts said the higher-riding crossover shape would make it easier to accommodate the batteries needed to provide electric power. These may feature state-of-the art solid-state technology.
DPA