A brand new BMW i model is rumoured to be on the way, sitting between the i3 and the i8 and likely to be a rival to the Tesla Model S.
Rumoured to be called the i5, news of the new car surfaced as far back as August last year, when BMW CEO Harald Krueger hinted that a new i-electric model would be on the way soon.
Given that BMW teased a picture on social media earlier this week depicting what appears to be the face of an i-electric model, predictions for what the supposed i5 will be like have been rolling in.
Up until now, BMW’s i-electric range has consisted of two distantly related models, with the i3 a city car and the i8 a full-blown sports car, so an i5 would likely sit as the bridge between the two.
It’s possible that the i5 would stay more closely to BMW’s reputation for building luxury saloons, and could be based on the existing 5 Series to act as a true rival to the likes of the Model S saloon.
Luxury saloon or SUV?
However, as BMW’s SUV sales have continued to strengthen globally, it’s possible that the upcoming i5 could come in the form of an SUV or a crossover to rival Tesla’s highly-anticipated Model X SUV.
Given that BMW last year stated that it had no plans to electrify or hybridise its newest X1, any i5 SUV would likely be much bigger than the X1 to satisfy demand from buyers who want bigger cars.
Speaking to Car and Driver, BMW i product chief Henrik Wender said: “We are thinking of a new i model above [the i3] to attract families and that means it must be capable of being the first car in the household.”
Wender also stated that future i-badged cars would feature range-extender options like the i3, meaning that the i5 could have a small engine to boost its range rather than being purely electric.
Although there’s no official word yet, given that 2016 marks the centenary year of BMW, it’s likely that more will be known about the marque’s future plans very shortly.