Rumor: The Mini Electric Concept Could Come to Life as the BMW i1

TopSpeed

By Ciprian Florea

Published Apr 11, 2018

Will it replace the existing i3?

Having joined the electric car market with the i3 and i8 in 2013, BMW is now looking to expand its EV lineup with at least a couple more models. There have been rumors of i4 and i5 cars, an iX3 crossover, and even a production model based on the iNext concept. It's difficult to predict which one will arrive first, but a new rumor claims that BMW is now considering the i1 nameplate.

That's the word from Spanish outlet Motor.es, which claims that the BMW i1 will be based on Mini's upcoming electric version of the Cooper. As you may remember, Mini unveiled the Electric Concept at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor with promises that a production version will follow soon. Unfortunately, Mini didn't reveal drivetrain information, so we know almost nothing about the i1. Of course, the Cooper EV could be based on the i3, so the i1 could borrow the same underpinnings.

What we do know is that the all-electric i1 would be about a foot shorter than the 1 Series at 158 inches long. This figure suggests that the i1 won't slot under the i3, because the latter is also almost 158 inches long. The i1 might actually replace the i3 in the lineup as the brand's smallest electric vehicle. Maybe BMW realized that its EV range should carry nameplates similar to the conventional models? Indeed, an i3 the size of a 3 Series makes more sense than an i3 that's as small as the 1 series.

Needless to say, it's a bit confusing right now, and the fact that Motor.es doesn't quote specific sources makes things more complicated. What's more, the i1 is rumored to arrive in 2023, so there's a lot that can change between now and then. We will probably find out more when Mini rolls out its first all-electric Cooper.