SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp. (SMC ACDC), the official distributor of BMW in the Philippines recently held its media thanksgiving party. During the event, SMC ACDC President Spencer Yu also used the occasion to announce its upcoming new models to the Philippines and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about.
Let’s start first with what was truly surprising–the announcement of the facelifted BMW 3 Series. Unveiled earlier this year, the facelifted 3 Series comes with an upgraded look and a new interior with the new iDrive 8 Curved Display infotainment system. Mechanically, it still remains fundamentally similar to the pre-facelift model.
What’s surprising about this announcement is the fact that the new BMW 3 Series will arrive in the Philippines next year not just as a sedan, but also in Touring (BMW’s marketing speak for wagon) form. The arrival of the 3 Series Touring will mean that the wagon form factor will be sold for the first time in a very long time in a BMW showroom.
On top of the BMW 3 Series Touring, four electric vehicles have also been confirmed to arrive in the Philippines next year. One of those we’ve already driven in Singapore, and that’s the iX3. As the name suggests, it’s the electric derivative of the X3, and it gets the fifth-generation eDrive system from the iX. Its rear-wheel drive (RWD) electric motor puts out 286 hp and 400 Nm of torque, which is enough for a 0-100 kph time of 6.8 seconds.
Three other electric BMWs have also been confirmed, and we have a safe guess on what the other three are. The two most likely will be the BMW i7 and the iX1, both of which are electric versions of their internal combustion engine counterparts.
The i7 flagship luxury sedan will most likely be sold alongside the gas-fed 7 Series, and it comes with a bold exterior and a very stunning and tech-laden interior with an optional 31-inch BMW Theatre Screen. The i7 will come as the xDrive60, which comes with a dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup, and it produces 536 hp and 745 Nm and a 0-100 kph time of 4.5 seconds. Its 101.7 kWh battery pack is good enough for up to 625 km of range.
Up next is the iX1, and this is BMW’s smallest SUV in electric form. The iX1 comes with a dual-motor AWD setup that provides 313 hp and 494 Nm of torque. This lets the iX1 sprint from 0-100 kph in just 5.7 seconds, while its 64.7 kWh battery pack gives it a range of up to 438 km when fully charged.
Lastly, the only other EV from BMW’s portfolio is the i4–likewise the electric version of the 4 Series. BMW originally said that the i4 wasn’t supposed to be sold in the Philippines, but it seems that the German automaker has changed their minds about the i4. The i4 is sold in four-door “GranCoupe” form, and it comes in either RWD eDrive40 with 335 hp or a performance-oriented M50 with dual-motor AWD and 536 hp.
So, with these new BMWs coming into the Philippines, what model are you particularly looking forward to?
0 comments on “BMW PH Confirms: 4 Electric Cars, 3 Series Touring Coming In 2023”