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BMW touts new SUV that will have nearly twice as much range as Tesla’s Model 3

Published Jan 19th, 2018 3:55PM EST
BMW iNext
Image: Shutterstock

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While it’s easy to poke fun at Tesla for constantly missing production deadlines, the reality is that Tesla faces a challenge that most other car companies would kill for: incredibly high demand that seemingly defies all semblance of logic. Indeed, reservations for the Model 3 skyrocketed to nearly 400,000 just a few weeks after Tesla unveiled the car back in April of 2016.

That being the case, it’s not at all surprising that many auto industry incumbents are spending a whole lot of money trying to play catch-up with Tesla in the EV space. On the low-end, Tesla faces competition from the likes of the Chevy Bolt. And on the high-end, Tesla faces a formidable lineup of rivals, with Porsche, BMW, and now even Ferrari, all expending a significant amount of resources in order to make a splash in the luxury end of the EV market.

To this point, BMW this week made a particularly intriguing announcement during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Specifically, BMW said that its iNext EV, which is slated to go on sale in 2021, will boast a range of 435 miles on a single charge.

To put that figure into context, consider this: the entry-level Model 3 has a range of 220 miles. Meanwhile, the most energy efficient option for the Model S boasts a range of 335 miles.

As for other details, BMW’s iNext will be an SUV and company representatives told AutoExpress that a prototype will be unveiled later this year.

“I can promise you that this year you will see something and touch something – you need to let people experience what is coming,” BMW’s Alexander Kotouc explained. “I saw last week the latest design ideas and I can say it’s really impressive. It’s looking bold; people will buy it even if they don’t want an electric car because of the design.”

Kotouc further added that the iNext will be able to seat 5 people comfortably and will be similar in size to the X5, BMW’s mid-size luxury SUV.

Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.