Big wait for BMW i5 SUV

BMW will follow up its i3 supermini and i8 supercar with a pure-electric SUV to be called the i5, but it won't be on sale until 2021, says a new report.

Originally BMW was considering both an i8-based sports sedan as well as a hatchback to rival the Tesla Model 3 but now, according to Autocar, the German car-maker has settled on an SUV.

Following on from the i8 roadster that's due in 2018, according to an insider speaking to the Brit mag an SUV was chosen because of its global appeal and higher profit margins.

An SUV's larger body also makes packaging a large battery pack easier.

Already confirmed to go on sale in 2021 by BMW chairman, Harald Krueger, it's not known why the i5 will take so long to be offered for sale, but BMW's head of sales and marketing Ian Robertson told Autocar that when the i5 does arrive it will capitalise on "the next big steps in electric motor, battery and autonomy".

Robertson also said that despite the five-year delay, BMW will still have a valuable advantage over its opposition: “The beauty of those cars is that they give us a competency in the field of electric cars and lightweight technology — not just in people, but in manufacturing too. We are way ahead in the manufacturing of lightweight carbon-fibre, for instance.”

Thought to be inspired by the images leaked following a Japanese patent, the i5 SUV is likely to have a higher ride height but keep the blueprint's i3-style rear-hinged doors.

Tipped to be far less radical that the current i3 and i8, the SUV is expected to be based around an aluminium and carbon-fibre enriched spaceframe, rather than the current i supermini and supercar's full-carbon-fibre monocoque.

As well as the images of the future i5, BMW also submitted a trademark application for the names i1 through i9, hinting that the sub-brand is ready for a raft of new models.

If the i5 SUV is delayed until 2021, a few years later in 2023 it should be joined by BMW's first-ever hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.

It's thought that part of the reason the i5 SUV will take so long to go on sale is linked to the recent announcement by the German car-maker that the i brand was switching from developing pure-electric and plug-in hybrids to focus its resources to enhance its autonomous driving technology.

Behind the scenes, it’s also been reported that senior BMW execs are increasingly unhappy by the i3’s lacklustre sales. The advanced city-car has found just 25,000 homes globally — not impressive considering the rumoured 400,000-plus order bank for Tesla’s Model 3.