With the advent of the exotic and impressive i8 earlier this year, BMW has shown its forward thinking in the face of Ferrari’s LaFerrari and McLaren’s P1. While not a machine that can match the performance of Ferrari’s and McLaren’s newest offerings, the i8 has made a considerable splash for BMW followers. And a recent press release indicates that all of BMW’s “core models” will receive a dosage of the i8’s hybrid-electric technology.
“Core models” most likely points to the 3-series, 5-series, and 7-series, models whose most popular models have been powered by traditional internal combustion engines. Left Lane News cites BMW head of development as stating, “All BMW Group models benefit from BMW i. The fundamental technology involved in battery cells, electric motors, and power electronics will be used in our upcoming plug-in hybrid models.”
BMW recently announced the 3-series eDrive, a plug-in hybrid variant of the popular 3-series. This plug-in 3-series will sport a respectable 245 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque to complement its 22 miles of all-electric range. However, BMW has indicated that the platform used on the 3-series eDrive can be tuned to nearly 700 horsepower and 62 miles of all-electric range. It would be surprising if the next generation of BMW M cars didn’t take advantage of this power potential with plug-in hybrid technology, something that would keep the M line fresh and progressive in the eyes of consumers.
In addition, for the time being, BMW engineers suggested the possibility of an X5 eDrive variant to compete with the Cayenne S e-hybrid and Lexus RX hybrid. However, BMW could seriously catch Lexus and Porsche by surprise if they took advantage of the eDrive platform’s capabilities. Stay tuned for more developments concerning the eDrive platform’s evolution in the BMW lineup.
Please enjoy this TFLcar.com 4K Video Review of the 2015 BMW i8.
Frank caught automotive fever early in life. Hailing from a long line of car fanatics, he was able to recite the year and model of every car that passed him by age five. His passion and love for the automobile have only grown since then. When not thinking about cars, he is reading, writing, learning, or dreaming about them. His area of expertise is in the realm of German and Italian cars, of which Porsche is a favorite. Frank currently resides in the heart of NASCAR country in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his family. He enjoys driving exotic cars in the beautiful Carolina weather.
