The 2022 BMW i4 Could Be the Tesla Model 3's Biggest Threat Yet

This fully electric sports sedan is likely to come standard with all-wheel drive and offer a driving range of up to 350 miles.

© Illustration by Ben Summerell-Youde/Fox Syndication - Car and Driver   The 2022 BMW i4 is a new electric sports sedan with all-wheel drive that will challenge the Tesla Model 3.

By Jens Meiners, Car and Driver

• BMW is working on an electric sedan called the i4 that will be a competitor to the Tesla Model 3.

• Based on the same platform as the 3-series and 4-series, the i4 will likely have two electric motors providing all-wheel drive and an electric driving range of up to 350 miles.

• Look for the i4 to arrive in 2021 with a starting price around $50,000.

The upcoming BMW i4 is a fully electric sports sedan, a low-slung four-door fitted with one or two motors. It promises to be the closest competitor yet to the Tesla Model 3, with the added benefit of having the build quality of a seasoned carmaker.

The i4 won't get its own EV platform: but will instead be based on the 3-/4-series' underpinnings known as the Cluster Architecture, or CLAR. While a one-motor version is conceivable, we expect the i4 to have two motors providing standard all-wheel drive. Expect BMW to offer several power and price levels. The largest battery should last about 350 miles between charges and put up zero-to-60 times in the four-second range. Top speed will likely be governed at a low 125 mph to save juice.

The Bavarians were wide of the mark with their last attempt to jump-start the EV era. Both of BMW's carbon-fiber battery-powered early adopters, the lunchbox i3 and the plug-in i8 pseudo-supercar, were very cool but a little too weird for most people. With premium appeal, practicality, and affordability, the i4 will attempt to put BMW back on track. Spy photos of the i4 show a fairly conventional shape similar to that of the current 4-series Gran Coupe, and the styling will be inspired by the i Vision Dynamics concept from 2017.

Set to arrive in 2021 as a 2022 model, the i4 is likely to start around $50,000.