The BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept Is Clearly Aimed At Tesla by Jalopnik

For years, Tesla’s been pretty much owning the luxury electric sedan space. But BMW, a brand built on driving that now stresses electromobility as its “top priority,” has Tesla in its sights with a future sedan that may look a lot like this. Meet the BMW i Vision Dynamics concept.

We’ve heard rumors that BMW would show off an electric 3 Series this year to compete with Tesla’s Model 3. Well, today in Frankfurt, the company didn’t show us quite that, but instead introduced the i Vision Dynamics concept, a four-door electric “gran coupe.”

BMW says the i Vision Dynamics concept demonstrates how the brand “[envisages] future electric mobility between the i3 and i8,” and it marks an upcoming step in the brand’s EV offensive (which will include 25 electrified cars by 2025, 12 of which will be completely electric).

BMW didn’t specifically say it was gunning for the Tesla Model S (or Model 3, depending upon how big the production version ends up being, and how much it costs), but it did say it was going to successfully compete with “established and new” competitors when it comes to electric vehicles.

Plus, BMW has a history of poking jabs at Tesla, and if we’re honest, just one look at the concept car’s swooping four-door profile and recessed door handles, and it’s clear BMW is after the EV stud from Palo Alto:

As for when the production version of BMW’s electric sedan will hit the streets, I don’t know. But BMW labeled this car as an example of “electric mobility of the much more immediate future” compared to the Next 100 concept on which it drew design inspiration, and the brand promised a version of this thing would indeed go into production at some point.

So we don’t know when the production model will arrive, but we do know that it could look quite a lot like the car you see in these photos. I overheard board member Dr. Ian Robertson say to journalists that if he knows one thing about BMW concept cars, it’s that “production cars are going to look very similar to them, and they’re not that far away.”

Robertson has a point, actually. The BMW i3 and i8 production models both look very similar to the concept cars on which they were based. So who knows, perhaps Tesla’s biggest competition in the luxury EV sedan segment is going to look a lot like this:

Sadly, we don’t know much about the powertrain in the i Vision Dynamics concept, only that it promises to hit zero to 62 mph in four seconds, reach a top speed of 120 mph, and have an impressive range of 373 miles.

I think the car looks a bit odd, particularly in the front—it’s a bit busy. But some refinement to that fascia between now and production, and some new wheels, and this thing could look great.

Even if it doesn’t, this segment could use a bit more competition.