An 800V electrical architecture will mean the iX3’s battery will also be able to charge at up to 400kW, enabling a 218-mile top-up in just 10 minutes from suitable chargers.
Two powertrains will be available when the iX3 arrives in the UK early next year: a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive one and a dual-motor, four-wheel drive one that can deliver up to 402bhp.
The second-generation iX3 also receives a new computing system that is 10 times faster than the network of chips in current BMWs.
In addition, to maximise interior space within this set-up and to keep vehicle height as low as possible to aid aerodynamics, BMW will unusually bolt the front seats directly to the pack – another first for the firm.
Visually, the new iX3 will draw on the original Neue Klasse models from the 1960s and return to small kidney grilles rather than the bolder, more expansive front ends that adorn the likes of the iX.
The double-kidney grille will divide a large, gloss black panel on the iX3’s front end – similar in style to the Vizor found on Vauxhalls. The panel is likely to conceal the sensors and cameras required by the latest generation of driver assistance systems.
The rest of the car will feature a boxier, more chiselled look than today’s models, with angled lights front and rear, plus a rear light bar. The reinvention continues inside the iX3, which will be the fi rst car to employ BMW’s new iDrive X system.
