With how much BMW shouts about electrification, it’s a surprise the all-new fourth-generation F70 1 Series, unveiled globally earlier this month, will be an ICE-only affair (albeit with 48V mild hybrid assistance on some variants).
Well, as it turns out, a fully electric 1 Series, or i1 if you will, is indeed coming – if a report by Autocar is to be believed. According to the publication, the fully electric BMW i1 hatchback will be unveiled sometime in 2027, followed by a “more sporting” i2 in 2028 that’ll also be offered in a coupe body style – the latter described by BMW insiders as the “spiritual successor” to the marque’s first electric car, the i3 hatchback.
While the ICE variants are based on the front-wheel drive FAAR platform, the all-new BMW i1 will instead be based on the marque’s Neue Klasse dedicated EV architecture, just like the heavily-rumoured iX3.
Speaking to the publication, anonymous BMW sources confirmed that there will be more than two distinct variants of the Neue Klasse platform, including the NBx for front-wheel drive vehicles, and the NAx for rear-wheel drive. Both variants will also support all-wheel drive layouts.
The NAx, to be used in the upcoming second-generation iX3 and i3, also forms the basis of the NDx platform designed for luxury-segment models, as well as a weight-optimised ZAx platform that will be used in future BMW M electric sports cars.
The rumoured BMW i1 and i2 will become the first models to utilise the NBx platform, which means like its ICE-powered siblings, it’ll also be primarily front-wheel driven, with all-wheel drive available as an option.
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BMW currently utilises a modified FAAR platform for the fully-electric iX1 and MINI Countryman crossovers, although the sources told Autocar that there are plans to also switch these models to the NBx platform, as part of efforts to achieve greater economies of scale.
The NBx platform, like all others under the Neue Klasse umbrella, will be built on an 800V electric architecture instead of 400V currently used on the FAAR alternative, and will feature new cylindrical battery cells with new cell chemistry that is said to provide “much-improved performance”.
BMW plans to unveil six fully-electric models built on the Neue Klasse platform within the next two years. According to the company’s product chief, Bernd Körber, these models are on track for launch beginning 2025, and that the first Neue Klasse models are already in the “final stages” of development, being readied for production.
“We have built the first pre-series cars and have driven them”, Körber added.
