BMW says we can expect to see an all-electric take on the X2 SUV hit the production floor at the end of the year, wearing the iX2 badge and joining the iX2.
The news comes from BMW in its latest results for the first quarter which detailed EV sales more than doubling to 55,979 units. The wider BMW Group (includes MINI, Rolls-Royce) saw its EV sales increase by 83.2 per cent to a total of 64,647.
In total, BMW Group delivered 588,138 vehicles in the first quarter of 2023, which is 1.5 per cent less than the same point last year, while BMW M division saw sales jump 18.9 per cent to 46,430 units.
Within the group, MINI sales dropped 9.2 per cent to 68,541 units for the quarter, while BMW says it expects its share of EV sales to keep growing at a rapid pace thanks to the i5 – which will feature a flagship i5 M60 variant – and the just-confirmed iX2 compact SUV. BMW also confirms its first fully electric 5 Series Touring wagon. BMW said:
“The product lineup will be joined towards the end of the year by the fully-electric BMW iX2 and the first fully-electric 5 Series Touring.”
We haven’t heard any firm details on the iX2 just yet, though it’s expected to receive a significant design overhaul leaning on the new X1 but in a coupe-like format. BMW says it will go into production alongside the iX1 later in the year in eastern Bavaria.
To help scale up production, BMW has outlined a 350-million-euro investment into hiring 500 new employees for the Regensburg production line, with BMW hoping that two-thirds of its vehicles produced from 2024 will be fully electric. Pieter Nota, member of the BMW board of management, said:
“The BMW Group is on track for slight sales growth in the full year 2023. The main growth drivers in 2023 will be fully-electric vehicles and models from the high-end premium segment – like the new BMW i7, the new BMW 7 Series, the BMW XM and the updated BMW X7.”
