The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Currently, BMW is working on developing an electric version of the 3 series to for challenging the Model 3 manufactured by Tesla Motors.
According to a report from U.K. automotive blog Autoexpress, BMW is working on a purely electric version of the 3 Series, on top of a plug-in hybrid version, for the coming years. That’s on top of the German company making good use of carbon fiber construction technology, and new, economical, and environmentally-friendly power plants that hope to challenge the Audi A4 and Jaguar XE in terms of emissions. But it appears as if electrification and hybridization is the big move to look out for, as far as the 3 Series is concerned.
Tesla Model 3
According to Road & Track, The decision to produce an electric-only 3-Series would be a major step forward in the segment. It would be the first direct competitor to Tesla’s highly anticipated Model 3, which has accrued almost 400,000 pre-orders since its announcement in April.
This is not to say BMW doesn’t have experience making electric cars. It’s been selling the i3, a zippy little electric hatch, since 2014, so it understands the advantages and drawbacks that come with bringing an electric car to market.
This is, of course, still very much a rumor, and one that hasn’t been repeated by seemingly anyone other than AutoExpress‘s unnamed sources. But as more and more buyers turn to electricity to power their vehicles, manufacturers need to adapt and evolve. BMW knows this, and it might have no choice but to make the “ultimate driving machine” available in fully-electrified trim.
