Rumor: BMW i5 Will Be An Electric Family Sedan?

One of the most popular events in the car-fans world, Frankfurt Motor Show was the starting place for the new BMW i3 and i8 Concepts, but now is time for something new because two more models are reportedly already under development.

Despite the fact that so far there is no official word about this model, we know that BMW i is essentially a two pronged approach, considering that the new BMW i8 will target the exotic sports car market, to effectively show that an electric car can be a desirable super-car, while the BMW i3 will be a compact and efficient city car.

With these two models, BMW will put electric cars into the mindset of car buyers and enthusiasts, but we should keep in mind that the real car market is the mainstream people mover: the family sedan.

According to the Germans from Autobild.de, somewhere around year 2015, BMW plans to introduce the BMW i5, a new model that will be a fully electric mid-size people mover that will take a more cross-over shape of the Prius, to create a product that is part sedan, part van and part SUV and above you can see how this car will might look like.

The upcoming model would be likely to be motivated by a 170 horsepower electric motor driving the rear wheels – as well as a range-extending electric vehicle. Beside this, the range-extending version of the i5 will use a 90- horsepower three-cylinder gasoline engine to boost the car’s overall range, for those who prefer gasoline. The BMW i5 was originally rumored to share the same underpinnings as the sporty i8 and, despite the different top hat, that appears to still be the case.

Even if this is still a rumor, it makes perfect sense to make a mid-sized car, but it seems the actual shape and configuration are still firmly in the rumor category.

As for the price, here comes the scary part, because Autobild’s projected price of “not less than 50,000 €”. Keep in mind that BMW may be targeting the Prius v’s cargo space for the i5, but pricing will be a completely different matter. Whereas the Prius v lists for about $26,400, the i5 is expected to cost $66,000 when it hits the market in 2015.

Source: AutoBild.de