"DerW220" (w220)
04/24/2015 at 18:30 • Filed to: BMW, i3, i5, Toyota, BMW i5
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"DerW220" (w220)
04/24/2015 at 18:30 • Filed to: BMW, i3, i5, Toyota, BMW i5 | 2
| 7 |
The BMW i5 is currently under development and, apparently, has been in planning stages a while.
At least, that’s according to Sandy Munro of Munro & Associates; the same man responsible for recently funding a detailed breakdown of every resource used on the BMW i3. He is quite an experienced engineer with a vast knowledge of the subject and a plethora of connections. In an interview as a guest on Autoline After Hours, he revealed the i3’s basic secrets and how the essential concept of BMW-Toyota relations came to be beneficial.
We all remember back when Toyota and BMW announced the partnership for a venture possibly involving a modern Supra project and fuel cell, right? Well, now we (probably) have some insight into the situation.
The two companies traded patents. BMW agreed to supply Toyota with the next Z4 platform in exchange for the hydrogen fuel cell tech Toyota has been developing for over a decade. What’s quite surprising is the fact that Munro reveals the i5 is a unibody constuction as opposed to the i3’s body-on-frame carbon fiber mashup and odd combination of structures. He also contends it will use the same design-language as the i3 while further employing the mass-produced carbon fiber. If so, the prodigious expansion of BMW’s supplier plant makes perfect sense.
They’ve done a great job of hiding their tracks with i5 publicity, but this information proves to be some great appetizers for the Bavarians’ futures. I’m not afraid to admit how far ahead-of-the-game BMW has become with their massive investments. The nearly $3 billion spent on i3 R&D alone will, without question, prove to be a pioneering move in the automotive industry.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> DerW220
04/24/2015 at 18:41 |
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Shit, tell me that this isn’t the new Supra.
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DerW220
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/24/2015 at 18:45 |
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Haha! No, that’s on Toyota’s platter. This is what BMW is deciding to use from the partnership. The i5 should be, in correlation with the other nomenclature, a more midsize vehicle sitting above the i3. It could possibly debut 2017 (but likely closer to 2020). Toyota is using the next-gen Z4 platform for their Supra.
PS9
> DerW220
04/24/2015 at 18:47 |
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The Good: BMW involvement means there’s a good chance the new supra will be a straight six after all. Yay!
The bad: BMW involvement = not gonna be a five figure car.
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DerW220
> PS9
04/24/2015 at 19:00 |
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While it’s most probable the Supra will start at a higher price than the next straight-six Z4 equivalent, it should be closer to $100k with the additional tech. Note that Toyota is saving a great amount using a borrowed platform.
TheHondaBro
> PS9
04/24/2015 at 19:07 |
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I imagine around what the R35 GT-R originally was, so $70,000.
BaconSandwich is tasty.
> DerW220
04/25/2015 at 00:00 |
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I'm not so sure hydrogen is the way to go. I'd rather see investments in better battery tech.
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DerW220
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
04/25/2015 at 03:55 |
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Keep in mind the i5 will be on the road in numbers around 2020. It’s still a pioneer 5 years from now, but the more vehicles produced the better the infrastructure will need to be. The i5 may also have the traditional i3 battery setup as another option.