BMW shows off new electric i4 saloon

​BMW has pulled the covers off its new Tesla Model 3 rival – the i4 saloon. 

Due for launch in the autumn, the i4 will eventually sit alongside the old but still desirable i3 hatchback, the iX3 SUV and the range-topping iX SUV, and will be one of 12 pure electrics BMW intends to have on sale by 2023.

Think it looks like a 4 Series Gran Coupe? You're right...

While the i3 and iX (and the i8 which was discontinued last year) look distinct from other petrol and diesel BMWs in the German car brand's range, the i4 is largely identical to the forthcoming 4 Series Gran Coupe, save for some aerodynamically-styled alloy wheels and lots of blue trim – a trademark colour for BMW's i models.

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BMW hasn't revealed any specs for the i4 yet but it's believed the top model, the i4 M, will get 523bhp, four-wheel drive and a 0-62mph sprint time of around four seconds. Other, lesser powered models with rear-wheel drive will form the bulk of the range, however.

The range will be broad to rival the Tesla Model 3

It's not just the styling that's very 4 Series either as underneath the i4's body lies the same platform used for the 3 and 4 Series models, which can take battery packs of up to 80kWh in capacity.

The i4's reveal took the media and public by surprise as BMW published details three months early. The company said the earlier-than-planned announcement was part of its recently fast-tracked plans to launch more electric cars.

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