[Greenie]

This hasn't been confirmed yet and the news came from Motor.es anonymous sources, so it may no come to pass. Seems like there may be plans for a zero-emissions i1 and it could share a platform with the Mini Cooper Electric that's expected to come out in 2019. Since BMW already trademarked the i1 badge, they may as well use it.
https://www.motor1.com/news/238713/bmw-i1-electric-planned/

 

[Coops]

Not too surprising that BMW is considering a new entry level EV. Although we've only seen renderings so far, I have to say that I like the idea of it being a hatchback. Will be interesting to see how they plan on pricing it in comparison to the Mini EV.

 

[Greenie]

I mixed up the title, it's supposed to be the i1 instead of the i8. It should be smaller than the i3 and probably look similar to the 1 Series sold in Europe. It's all rumored of course, so the i1 may not even go into production and something that small may encroach on Mini's territory. But it would satisfy the small electric car market. Haven't had anything since the electric Smart car and that one was too small.

 

[Tandy]

I don't think it will affect Mini sales, as they are probably still going to try and sell the Mini EV as a premium model. I'd be interested in something similar to that rendering, especially if it starts for less than what's currently on the market.

 

[Coops]

Well considering the 1 series starts at £21,625 in the UK, its probably a safe bet to assume that the EV model will start closer to $30k. That would put it on par with the base models offered from Nissan and Chevy.

 

[Tandy]

Yeah but Mini is going to charge more for the nameplate, and that better come with a host of unique features over the Leaf and Bolt. Nissan has proven with the new Leaf, that technology is actually more important than overall range.

 

[Coops]

I mean that's all relative to the price point. Part of what makes the Leaf of such significant value, is it's great base price. If BMW is going to charge a premium fee for the Mini, then it is going to have to offer premium performance.

 

[Greenie]

So the iX3 concept was just revealed and instead of the i8, maybe Mini's new Ev could take after that instead since the new BMW EV is designed to be compact, which is what defines Mini. The iX3's electric motor, transmission and power electronics are grouped into a single component, making it easy to be integrated into different vehicle architectures.