German automaker BMW proudly announced Friday that it had launched the production of its first electric series sedan, the BMW i5. It is indeed a significant achievement, as the company has already been previewing the arrival of the electric vehicle for more than six years now.
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse teased the new i5 at its recent annual conference in March. The BMW boss asserted that the EV will provide the company with a “unique selling point.”
The legacy automaker will position the BWW i5 between the 3 and 7 series. Notably, the 5 series is the company’s second most popular offering behind the 3 series.
That said, it is unsurprising that BMW decided to offer a battery-powered version of the model.
BMW starts i5 electric sedan production in Germany
In late May, BMW formally debuted the i5 as a slightly bigger electric sedan than its predecessor. Now, the automaker has finally announced the start of the model’s production at its largest factory, MW Group Plant Dingolfing, Germany.
“The BMW i5 and our plant in Dingolfing are perfect examples of how the BMW Group is transforming itself for e-mobility and developing our plants on the road to the BMW iFACTORY.”
Milan Nedeljković, Board of Management Member of BMW AG for production
The German brand offers two variants for the BMW i5, including the eDrive40 and the M60 performance.
The 2024 i5 eDrive40 has a base price of $66,800. For that price, you can get an EV with 335 horsepower and 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds acceleration time.
On the other hand, the BMW i5 M60 generates an output of 590 hp and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. It is more expensive than the base variant at $84,100.
With this significant development, BMW anticipates increasing its EV production share to more than 40% in 2024.
See Also:
- BMW targets 50,000 EV sales in the US in 2023
- AESC to launch its new power battery factory in South Carolina to supply BMW
- BMW iX e-SUV to service Australian politicians
- BMW i5 photo circulated ahead of the official launch
- BMW previewed the all-new i5 ahead of its official launch on May 24
The impending arrival of the new BMW i5 to the European and global market will undoubtedly shake up the industry, potentially beating rival automakers’ current top-selling models. Apart from that, it can also intensify the brand’s strong presence in its home market as it electrifies one of its most popular offerings.
You can watch how BMW builds the new i5 EV in the video presented below:
