BMW unveils Concept 4 at Frankfurt motor show

The brand demonstrated its commitment towards the environment with a focus on future electric and fuel cell models

BMW displayed three concepts at the Frankfurt Motor Show that point in the future direction that the brand will be taking. The three concepts, BMW Vision I Next, BMW M Next, and BMW Concept 4, are all geared towards using electric powertrains. Out of the three, the Concept 4, a sporty coupe, is closest to production with the new BMW CEO, Oliver Zipse claiming that the 4 Series that will be based on the Concept 4 will see production in 2021. The i4 will then see the light of day soon after. BMW emphasised its commitment to fighting climate change and reducing emissions, promising to have a test fleet of fuel cell vehicles ready in 2022. BMW said that it will use a three pronged approach to fight climate change with a range of hybrid, fullt-electric and fuel cell vehicles. Anticipating a 30 per cent share for electric vehicles in the luxury segment in certain markets, BMW has plans of launching more than two dozen ‘electrified’ cars – hybrid as well as fully electric by 2023, a full two years earlier than its previous commitment for 2025 with more than half of the models being fully electric. BMW aims to have one million electrified BMWs on the road by 2021. The company also presented the BMW i Hydrogen NEXT development vehicle at this year’s IAA.

BMW iX3

BMW further underlined its focus on electric mobility with the BMW iX3, which will be released in the market with a fifth generation e-drive system in 2020. The e-drive is manufactured without rare earth metals, and the Cobalt for its battery cells is sourced directly from mines in Australia and Morocco. In addition, the electricity needed for production is mostly covered by renewable energy sources.

BMW Vision I Next and Vision M Next

The BMW Vision I Next was also displayed and BMW claimed that it will serve as a template for how future BMW cars will be like on the inside. The BMW Vision M Next on the other hand is a concept that points towards BMW’s continued focus on driver involvement in future electric powered cars.

bmw concept 4