The Tesla Model 3 is of vital importance to the American brand for all reasons and no more. If the plans announced by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, for this model come to fruition, they mean a very different future not only for Tesla but also for the entire electric vehicle market. If the brand's plans materialize, Tesla becomes a volume builder, producing 500,000 vehicles a year.
Tesla's size is still small, but it has been impressive. German premium builders, and beyond, have closed ranks and are preparing to invade the market with countless 100% electric proposals. Annuling the rival before it has a chance to grow seems to be the plan of attack.
Audi and BMW prepare rivals for the future “electric of the American people”.
Audi's electric saloon
We are less than a year away from discovering the first Audi volume electric vehicle, with more ambitious goals than for others already known, such as the Audi R8 e-tron. This model will take the form of an SUV and will simply be called an e-tron. In 2019 it will be complemented by a Sportback version, of which we have already seen a concept.
Later that year, or early 2020, we should get to know a new 100% electric saloon, whose main target is the Tesla Model 3. Everything points to its dimensions being somewhere in the middle between the A3 Limousine and the A4. It will be the access point, for now, to the range of electric vehicles of the Ingolstadt brand.
It will make use of the MEB platform, the Volkswagen group's unique architecture for electric vehicles. The most likely configuration will be the use of two electric motors, one per axle, speculating that the more powerful versions could reach 300 horsepower. The maximum range should approach 500 km. The entry into the WLTP cycle this year may reveal different values, due to the more rigorous approval tests that it will have to pass.
BMW's new plans
BMW already has exclusively electric models, through its i sub-brand. One would expect an expansion of this, but plans have changed. The change in the Bavarian brand's plans will make electric vehicles not restricted to i-models. BMW will integrate 100% electric variants into its “conventional” ranges. The future generation BMW X3 is expected to be the first model to integrate such an option by 2019.
BMW's potential rival to the Model 3 will be known in 2020 and will be part of the future 4 Series GT range. This new designation results from the restructuring that BMW is carrying out in the positioning and designation of its future GT, Coupés and convertible models. As an example, the successor to the 5 Series GT will become the 6 Series GT and the new BMW 8 Series will replace the 6 Series.
The definitive scenario is still somewhat confusing, but the new 4 Series GT could effectively replace the current 3 Series GT and 4 Series Gran Coupé.
BMW's new proposal, like Audi's, will have an estimated maximum range of 500 km. For that, it will have to use 90 kWh batteries, although, with the advances in capacity and cooling, the final model may only need 70 kWh to achieve the same number of kilometres, thus reducing costs.
There is also talk of the possibility of the Electric 4 Series GT adopting a more original solution. Instead of using one electric motor per axle, it is considered to use only one electric motor, positioned at the front. This configuration would allow not only a better weight distribution, but also a similar conduction to the internal combustion models.
The BMW 335d GT is being used as a benchmark for the desired level of performance, which equates to an expected total power of around 350 horsepower.
Now it's time to wait. Be it for the Tesla Model 3 that should be known at the beginning of the summer, and for the new proposals of the German brands that will arrive in the next years. They will definitely be among the American brand's most feared rivals.