BMW 9 Series and All-Electric i6 Sedan May Debut in 2020

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BMW 9 Series and All-Electric i6 Sedan May Debut in 2020

BMW may launch its 9-Series luxury coupe and i6 all-electric sedan by 2020. Speculations suggest that the 9-Series will be based on the Vision Future Luxury concept showcased by BMW at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. The BMW i6 will be an electric sedan roughly the size of a 3-Series.

By Ishaan Rastogi

Published on December 22, 2015

Highlights

BMW may launch its 9 Series luxury coupe and i6 all-electric sedan by 2020 according to a report by Automobile Magazine. Speculations suggest that the 9 Series will be based on the Vision Future Luxury concept showcased by BMW at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. The BMW i6 will be an electric sedan roughly the size of a 3 Series. Also Read: BMW i5 Electric SUV: Could This Be the Future of BMW's i Range? In its recent history, the German conglomerate has been squeezing in new models into a lot of new segments. 2014 saw the company showcasing its long-wheelbase BMW 7 Series based Vision Future Luxury concept followed by the recently unveiled BMW 1 Series hatchback-based Concept Compact Sedan which is likely to rival the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3. According to BMW's nomenclature, coupes tend to come wearing an even numbered series tag. The new 4-door luxury coupe will sit between the 7 Series and Rolls Royce Ghost and hence the return of the 8 Series tag would be a sensible prediction. However Automobile Magazine suggests that considering the muted success that BMW had with the original 8 Series and the fact that BMW doesn't hold the rights to the 10 Series name, the car is likely to be called the 9 Series. Also Read: 2016 Delhi Auto Expo: All-New BMW 7 Series to Launch in India Reports suggest that the BMW 9 Series will be available with multiple powertrain options including a 6-cylinder plug-in hybrid, biturbo V8 or a whopping 650bhp V12 option which may feature in a possible M9 or M960i top-of-the-line, high performance variant. As is the trend with a lot of luxury cars, a fully electric powertrain being developed for the next-generation Rolls Royce Phantom may also find its way onto the 9 Series. Additionally, BMW is in the process of making an all-electric sedan called the i6 which is likely to be the same size as the BMW 3 Series. The car will be built on a brand-new 'flat-floor' component set developed specifically for BMW's electric offerings. Some of its noticeable specifications include the generous use of weight-saving carbon-fibre and up to 4 electric motors that may be powered by a newly developed lithium-polymer battery pack that is expected to cost half as much as current battery packs but with more than 3 times the capacity. The 9 Series 4-door coupe is likely to be launched in early 2020, following in the footsteps of the BMW 7 Series which will be due a mid-cycle facelift in 2019. The BMW i6 on the other hand, is expected to launch sometime in mid-2020. Also Read: BMW Believes Premium Car Sales in India Will Reach 1 Lakh Units by 2020