From the moment BMW started making the original i3 in 2013, it needed about 11 years to sell its one-millionth electric vehicle. The EV lineup has grown tremendously in recent years, which explains why the next milestone has been achieved much sooner. The BMW Group, including MINI and Rolls-Royce, took only two years to sell another million cars without a combustion engine.

The milestone vehicle is a fully electric 5 Series in the hotter i5 M60 xDrive guise. The Dingolfing-made sedan has already been delivered to a customer in Spain as the two-millionth EV sold by the BMW Group. Coincidentally, the two-millionth electric car built a few months ago was also an i5 M60 xDrive for a Spanish customer.

Although we don’t have a crystal ball, it’s easy to imagine the next EV sales milestone will come even quicker than the last one. To meet strong demand for the iX3, BMW is already running double shifts at the Debrecen plant in Hungary, where it exclusively makes the standard-wheelbase model. Later in 2027, the electric crossover will also be assembled in Mexico at the San Luis Potosí plant.

The Neue Klasse EV Offensive Is In Full Swing

Meanwhile, series production of another model crucial to wider EV adoption started earlier this month in Munich. We’re talking about the i3 Sedan. This one too is also enjoying early success, as BMW launched a First Edition earlier than planned. A more practical i3 Touring will follow next year to cater to wagon lovers.

Moving a segment higher, the iX5 serves as an electric alter ego of the new X5, and it’ll be joined by a larger iX7 next year. An iX6 could arrive as early as 2028, and it won’t be the only new coupe-styled electric SUV to join the iX2. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, the iX4 is months, if not weeks, away from breaking cover. Spy photos suggest 2027 will be the year BMW overhauls the iX1 and gives the i5 a mid-cycle facelift.

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These new arrivals will give the company even more opportunities to fast-track broader EV adoption among its customers. As things stand, purely electric cars accounted for 17.7% of total Group deliveries in the first half of this year. The ambitious goal is to exceed 50% across the BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce brands by 2030.

Getting there will require rolling out cheaper EVs beyond the iX1 and iX2 crossovers. Our sources say an i1 hatchback and an i2 sedan are coming closer to the decade’s end. These compact cars will essentially serve as electric alternatives to the 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe.

First published by https://www.bmwblog.com