BMW i6 electric sedan under development?

BMW is reportedly preparing an i6 electric sedan to compete with the Tesla Model S, Audi E-Tron GT, and Mercedes-Benz EQS.

The Italian website Autoblog.it reported in December that the i6 will be available around 2024. The range-topping version will reportedly boast a 120-kilowatt-hour battery capacity and a 670-horsepower dual-motor powertrain.

BMW is already testing such a powertrain. It is a modular design and can be installed in most of BMW's existing lineup. Indeed, most of BMW's future EVs will be battery EV versions of its core models, such as the X3-based iX3 due later this year and the 4 Series-based i4 due in 2021 (as teased in the 2017 i Vision concept (above)). The much-publicized iNext is also expected to be based on the X5 and will likely be called the iX5 when it debuts in 2021.

However, according to Autoblog.it, the i6 will be an independent EV that will replace the discontinued 6 Series Gran Coupe.

Other BMW EVs believed to be in the works are the 1 Series-based i1 and the 7 Series-based i7; BMW has naming rights to the i1 through the i9 and the iX1 through the iX9, with more likely in the future.

Recall that the BMW Group, which also owns the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, has an aggressive electrification plan to launch 25 plugged-in models by the end of 2023, more than half of which will be battery electric vehicles.