If we talk about electric cars, there is a BMW exception. While global sales are going through a downturn, the Bavarian brand continues to sell its models very well, without having cut its prices, which remain high. First quarter registrations are twice those of Audi and more than 60% above those of Mercedes. Its two rivals achieve around 10% of their sales in electric vehicles, but BMW is approaching 15%, despite strong headwinds in the Chinese market.
A pioneer of the genre (with the Renault Zoe), when it introduced the original small i3 in 2013, the Munich firm suffered setbacks and partly missed its target, despite two hundred and seventy-five thousand units produced. However, the relative failure of this disruptive model obviously taught him a lot. If BMW, world leader in “premium” automobiles, is doing well, it is undoubtedly because its electric vehicles are not out of step with the rest of the range.
Where its competitors have sought to create new territories by composing an additional catalog, strongly differentiated including on an aesthetic level, the German brand has launched chameleon cars. To facilitate the transition of buyers to electric, they adopt an unchanged silhouette compared to thermal models and a simplified name. This choice dictated by prudence – BMW adapts existing thermal platforms with the concessions that this imposes in terms of weight and habitability – has paid off. It also offered the manufacturer the possibility of multiplying new electric products at lower costs, whether SUVs, sedans or even station wagons.
Rather average autonomy
The iX2 (from 46,900 euros), a variant of the X2 SUV equipped with a 64.8 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery, which ensures a range of just over 400 kilometers, rather average for the category, is inscribed in this drawing. The general appearance is that of a coupe SUV, a category introduced in 2008 for better (and sometimes for worse) by the brand with the X6. Stretched to 4.55 meters so as not to penalize the rear passengers too much, it has a profile and a stern with a more unattractive style than its predecessor. The brand has accustomed us to non-consensual aesthetic choices.
This electric interpretation of a vehicle which also exists with a petrol or diesel engine is unlikely to disorient customers. The vast artificial grille with sharp angles (the contours of which can be illuminated in Chinese style) and the long hood zealously seal membership in the “Béhème” clan.
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