We’ve been seeing BMW’s “Neue Klasse” concept cars for a while now, but they’re finally starting to translate into production cars. The new iX3 debuted at the Munich Auto Show yesterday, showing a new electric SUV with sci-fi levels of tech and, um, interesting styling.
BMW will build the iX3 on an 800-volt platform, giving it the ability to charge at up to 400kW, as long as there’s a charger that can support it. The automaker says those speeds can add 230 miles of range in ten minutes, and the iX3 is BMW’s first vehicle to feature its in-house battery cells, which provide improved range, better energy density, and lower manufacturing costs than earlier batteries. The automaker didn’t detail battery specs, but it estimates more than 400 miles of range, lower than BMW’s initial estimates but still in the upper echelon of range numbers.
The iX3 50 xDrive will come first, offering 463 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque. It’s slated to arrive in the U.S. by the middle of next year with a starting price of around $60,000. Less expensive single-motor variants are expected after the launch.
BMW spent a lot of time talking about the SUV’s computing power, the base of which it called “Heart of Joy.” It manages the vehicle’s traction and stability control systems, drivetrain behavior, and other systems in one system, reducing the number of steps between the numerous processors and sensors throughout the vehicle.
Together, the system forms BMW’s new Panoramic iDrive system, which runs on an Android-based operating system. Interestingly, the iX3 retains physical controls for vital vehicle systems like the climate and audio systems to reduce distraction.
[Images: BMW]
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