Often times the exciting world of automotive spy photography can be filled with mystery, what with all the fake body panels and crazy camouflage wrap. It can sometimes be very difficult to figure out what we’re looking at, never mind what might be lurking under the hood. That’s not the case with this machine, which is clearly a BMW X3 SUV that’s completely undisguised. Moreover, we can tell you with absolute certainty this is, in fact, an all-electric version that BMW is testing, hence the iX3 designation. How do we know this? Simple: BMW tells us so.
Even if it wasn’t literally spelled out on the side, this prototype’s lack of visible exhaust at the back and a plug-in port on the fender would be dead giveaways. This marks the second time we’ve caught the all-electric iX3 out and about, but despite the lack of camo there are some mysteries to be solved. This model sports a slightly different front fascia, which leads us to believe this could be wearing a production-style face used to differentiate it from the pack.
We also don’t know exactly how this X3 will handle its electric power. All-wheel drive is pretty much assured, but will it utilize a single motor or dual motors? How much power will be available for drivers? There’s also the question of range, and while we have no information on any of these tidbits, it’s not unrealistic to think BMW might benchmark the Tesla Model X which can deliver a range between 235 and 290 miles.
As this is only the second time we’ve seen BMW testing its iX3, we’re still early in the process. In fact, we don’t expect to see this SUV until late next year, when it will be joined by a hybrid version with potentially 300 horsepower and 30 miles of all-electric range.
Source: CarPix
