Electric Bimmer X3 SUV Due in 2020

BMW AG will introduce an all-electric variant of its X3 crossover/SUV in 2020, Autocar reports.

The iX3 will be the first of 11 new “i” electric models that BMW plans to launch by 2025. The new EVs will ride on BMW’s “CLAR” structure that also carries the larger 5 and 7 Series cars and will underpin the upcoming next-generation X3 and 3 Series small car.

The iX3 will be powered by a pair of electric motors. One of the motors will be integrated into the rear axle to enable torque vectoring, according to Autocar. The U.K.-based enthusiast magazine, which doesn’t cite its sources, says not all of BMW’s next-generation EVs will get the two-motor all-wheel-drive setup. Those that don’t will use a front electric motor teamed with a fixed-ratio gearbox and electric propeler shaft to reduce cost and complexity.

Spy photographers have caught a test mule for the i3X during cold weather testing in Scandinavia. The test models are built on the current X3 platform but modified with the new electric architecture.

Designing the CLAR platform from the ground up to accommodate an electric powertrain will allow BMW to optimize packaging and performance. The iX3 will share most of the X3’s styling cues. One exception, the electric model will do without a grille to enhance aerodynamics, Autocar says.