BMW plans to accelerate its electric vehicle plans, in the wake of an executive shake-up and leading into a vote planned for the end of this month. The new BMW expanded electric lineup will kindle fully battery-powered versions of the Mini, the BMW 3 Series and the X4 SUV.
The company has previously discussed plans to electrify the 3 Series and other vehicles, but German’s Handelsblatt reports now that it’s picking up the pace on its EV strategy, in a bid to better compete with the likes of Tesla, whose Model 3 sedan has already amassed 400,000 pre-orders.
BMW’s current all-electric lineup is focused on the i3, a city-commuter oriented car that has a much more limited range than Tesla’s vehicles, including the forthcoming Model 3.
As mentioned, the renewed emphasis on EVs follows changes at the executive level, including a new CFO, and the merger of its marketing and sales divisions for Mini and BMW into a single organization.