BMW boss Harald Kruger in BMW’s first quarter financial results dropped some details about the company’s future by 2022. Notably, all the announcements were largely positive except one. There is bad news for the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo as Kruger said, “There will be no successor.”
The announcement didn’t come as an utter shock because BMW exec Klaus Frohlich already heavily hinted at the model’s demise. Last year, he suggested, buyers “want to sit a little more upright” and that the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo niche was “under pressure from SUVs.”
Odd aesthetic combination of a sedan and a wagon didn’t fit into the brand lineup anymore. Especially when a separate four-door and estate already existed.
Also Read: Upcoming BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe – Teaser Revealed.
BMW iNext electric crossover is on the way. Krüger offers a few more details about it. Nevertheless, the road-going version arriving in 2021 has Level 3 autonomous capability. But, the boss also says there would be a pilot fleet of 500 iNexts for testing Level 4 and 5 autonomous driving
BMW pledges the iNext to have a driving range of 373 miles (600 kilometres). On the inside, it has multiple digital screens to control all of the cutting-edge techs that are allegedly onboard.
Additionally, Kruger discussed making BMW product development faster and more efficient. By 2024, greater use of digital simulations would allow the company to build 2,500 fewer prototypes for new vehicles. Also, the company intends to cut 50 per cent of the current drivetrain variants in the transition to its new modular platform starting in 2021.
