Prototypes of the facelifted BMW 5 Series have begun testing on public roads ahead of a planned introduction in mid-2020. Although it’s still heavily disguised, the updated executive model will clearly receive a bolder look in keeping with styling developments brought to both the latest 3 Series and facelifted 7 Series. The move is part of a broader strategy at BMW that aims to give each model its own individual appearance. Among the new design elements expected to be brought to the 5 Series are a more prominent kidney grille, redesigned headlights and a more heavily structured front bumper that incorporates newly designed air vents, including vertical air curtain ducts at the outer edges. Changes at the rear are likely to be less significant, although the plastic wrap adorning the spied prototypes hints at styling revisions to the tail-lights, rear bumper, tailpipes and area around the numberplate. Inside, the 5 Series is expected to receive new digital instrument graphics as well as a revised central display housing the infotainment functions. Today’s 5 Series will get BMW’s latest iDrive 7.0 operating system as part of a running change from this month onwards, suggesting the 2020 model will carry this on until the introduction of an iDrive 7.5 system in the eighth-generation 5 Series model due in 2023. The prototype shown here is propelled by a plug-in hybrid powertrain, shown by the mandatory identification on its front doors as well as the flap for the charging port integrated into the front-left wing. The current G30 5 Series is already sold with a plug-in hybrid setup in the 530e. This has a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor developing a combined 248bhp and providing an electric-only driving range of up to 40 miles. As part of a push to take its plug-in hybrid drivelines into the performance car class, BMW is said to be planning a new 545e model running the same set-up as the 745e. This would use a more powerful turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine and electric motor making a combined 388bhp and yielding an electric-only range of up to 36 miles. In further developments, BMW plans to equip all petrol engines with a particulate filter, while the diesels will receive new selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, according to Munich
Origin: 2020 BMW 5 Series previewed as prototypes begin testing
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Volkswagen ID 3: pre-orders begin for electric hatch
Volkswagen has opened registrations for its ID 3 electric hatchback in Europe ahead of deliveries starting in mid-2020 – and has said the entry-level version will cost less than €30,000 (£25,500) in Germany. The first production car to launch using the Volkswagen Group’s new MEB electric architecture, the Golf-sized ID 3 will initially arrive in a special First edition. Limited to 30,000 vehicles, it will feature a WLTP-certified range of 261 miles. The ID 3 will be officially launched at this year’s Frankfurt motor show. Volkswagen has also confirmed the name of its first ID machine, which was simply known as the hatch – with the internal codename Neo – during development. Volkswagen says the ID 3 title is because three is the firm’s internal nomenclature for the compact A-segment, and because the new model represents the third major chapter in its history, after the Beetle and Golf. The title also “signals the potential for expansion” into bigger and smaller models in the future. Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann said that the start of ID pre-booking ushered in “the third major chapter of strategic importance in the history of our brand, following the Beetle and the Golf”. He added: “With the ID 3, we are making the electric car fit for mass mobility.” Stackmann said that the ID 3 represented a “major milestone” for Volkswagen, adding: “The world is currently in a process of transformation. Volkswagen is not only part of, but is also shaping, this transformation. “We are pursuing a focused powertrain strategy. Volkswagen has opted consistently for the battery-electric drive system. This is currently the most efficient technology for reducing CO2 emissions and meeting the ambitious CO2 reduction targets. E-mobility will become our lead technology.” The ID range is understood to be planned to run from one to 10, with the numbers replacing the titles given to previously seen concepts: the ID Crozz SUV, Vizzion saloon, Buzz MPV and van and Roomzz luxury SUV. Autocar has also revealed the firm is working on an entry-level ‘people’s car’. The 261-mile battery utilised in the ID 3 First will be the middle of three battery sizes offered in the ID 3 range, which Volkswagen believes will be the most popular. The £25,500 entry-level version will offer a range of 205 miles, with the largest battery allowing for 342 miles. It is understood the three batteries will be 45, 58 and 77kWh respectively. The ID 3 will come with built-in fast-charging technology, allowing for a maximum speed of 100-125kW DC charging. The firm says a 30-minute charge at 100kW should provide 162 miles of range. Volkswagen says the ID 3 First edition will be priced at under €40,000 (£34,000) in Germany, with customers in the UK required to pay a £750 deposit. UK pricing details have yet to be confirmed, and the pre-booking will only be open for the 30,000 special editions, although those who secure a slot can cancel their order with a full refund. It is not yet known if the UK will be allocated a set number of those models, although it will be one of the “key” markets for the car, alongside Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Customers who pre-book an ID 3 will be able to order their cars after it is launched at this year’s Frankfurt motor show in September. Those orders will become binding in April 2020, with customers able to cancel and obtain a full refund until then. The First edition will be offered in a choice of four colours and three versions, all featuring large wheel rims. There will also be three trim levels – First, First Plus and First Max – although only the Plus trim will be offered in the UK. This will feature “extensive” comfort features including voice control, a navigation system, exterior IQ lighting and a bi-colour exterior and interior design. In the markets where it is available, the range-topping Max trim includes a panoramic sunroof and augmented-reality head-up display. Volkswagen also said the ID 3 First edition will be offered with 2000kWh of free charging at public charging points using the firm’s We Charge app, on a European charging network. That includes charge points on the Ionity network, which is expanding into the UK. VW also has a deal with Tesco to install 600 rapid chargers at its supermarkets by 2020, although it is not yet confirmed if access to these would be part of the 2000kWh deal. The ID 3 is 4100mm long, 1800mm wide and 1530mm high, making it 155mm longer, 9mm wider and 77mm higher than the seventh-generation Golf, although the electric powertrain means that it is set to offer substantially more interior space. Stackmann added: “From the outside, the ID 3 will be as large as a Golf. In the interior, it will be as spacious as a medium-sized car.” ID 3 production run will start at Volkswagen’s Zwickau factory near the end of this year. The firm is aiming to deliver more than 100,000 examples in 2020, with 110,000 on average per year afterwards. That is part of VW’s goal
Origin: Volkswagen ID 3: pre-orders begin for electric hatch
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