BMW laid down a marker at Frankfurt with its i Vision Dynamics four-door coupe EV, paving the way for a range that will comprise of 12 pure electric vehicles within the next seven years and another 25 with electrified drive systems.

The third pure EV in the Bavarian company’s portfolio, the i Vision Dynamics slots between the i3 city car and the i8 sports model, bringing a new design direction to Munich’s wares.

The car features a range of 600km, a top speed of more than 200km/h, and a 0-100km/h acceleration of four seconds. So while it’s not about to embarrass a Tesla Model S P100D at the lights, it’s certainly no sluggard.

The vehicle is certainly distinctive, with a flowing roofline, full glass roof from windscreen to bootlid, and distinctive notched B-pillars, although the treatment of the traditional BMW kidney grille has divided opinion. The grille now features underlying sensors that are claimed to turn the kidneys into an “intelligence surface”. The headlights reprise the iconic four-eyed front end but now feature two freestanding LED elements on each side of the car’s heavily sculpted nose.

BMW chairman Harald Krüger described the i Vision Dynamics as a “significant milestone in BMW’s roadmap for e-mobility”. Stressing the desire to develop a workable case for production, he added, “It’s a vision we want to realise in the foreseeable future.”

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