宝马首席执行官哈拉尔德·克鲁格(Harald Krüger)近日在公司年度大会上表示，宝马将于2021年推出自动驾驶电动旗舰车型。有传言称，该车定位在7系车之上。他的原话是：“我们将发布一款豪华级宝马品牌车型。”有媒体报道，该车将是一款电动，自动驾驶旗舰级车型，目前透露出的该车名称为iNext。克鲁格表示，我们新的创新性驾驶体验，包括自动驾驶，数字互联，智能轻量化设计，全新内装，基本上属于下一代电动车。克鲁格同时还强调，宝马计划于2018年发布X7，而劳斯莱斯库里南SUV也将于同年底发布。为了进一步降低旗下车型油耗水平，宝马还将推出一系列插电混动车型，涵盖X1和2系车以及7系长轴距版。除了这款豪华电动旗舰车以及一系列插电混动车之外，宝马还将于2018年发布i8敞篷版。
BMW's electric, self-driving flagship is coming in 2021
The reveal was made by BMW chairman Harald Krüger while speaking during the company’s 96th Annual General Meeting in Munich. Rumors about a new car positioned above the 7 Series have been circulating on the Internet for quite some time, and although we still don’t have concrete evidence, with this announcement made by BMW it now seems more possible. His exact words were: “We will be introducing an additional BMW model in the luxury class.”
Automotive News says the new car will be an electric, self-driving flagship – iNext, as its dubbed for now. BMW CEO Harald Krueger said the flagship will be “our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road,” AN reports.
At the same meeting, Harald Krüger reiterated the company’s plans to introduce the first-ever X7 in 2018 and also a Rolls-Royce SUV codenamed “Cullinan” bound to arrive by the end of the same year. BMW also reaffirmed its commitment to slash CO2 emissions by rolling out a plethora of plug-in hybrids, from the X1 and 2 Series all the way up to the long-wheelbase 7 Series.
Between a new luxury model and a plug-in hybrid onslaught, it's worth reminding that an open-top i8 is pinned for a 2018 launch.