Designed to fill the gaping abyss that separates the i3 city car and the i8 sports car, the i5 will ride on a lengthened version of the i3′s all-aluminum platform, enabling it to provide the rear passengers with nearly four inches of extra legroom and a generous amount of cargo space. The i5 will retain its smaller sibling’s carbon fiber safety cell while gaining a B-pillar and a set of conventional front-hinged rear doors.
Look for the BMW i5 to bow as a thinly-veiled concept at a major European auto show next year. England’s Autocar reports it will land in showrooms across the world in the middle of 2015 at the very earliest.
BMW recently trademarked the nameplates i1 through i8, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the i sub-brand become a full-fledged lineup covering a wide spectrum of body styles before the end of the decade.
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