With the launch of the new BMW i3 and the unveiling of the BMW i7, BMW has presented five purely electric models to Chinese customers.

(Image credit: BMW)

BMW officially announced the BMW i3 eDrive35L, an electric BMW 3 Series for the Chinese market only, at the end of March. The model now sees its first production vehicle roll off the production line.

On May 5, BMW's first all-electric midsize sports sedan, the new BMW i3, rolled off the production line at BMW's Lydia plant, the third vehicle plant at its Shenyang production base, the German luxury carmaker said.

This indicates a further acceleration of BMW's electrification efforts in China, it said, adding that with the launch of the new BMW i3 and the debut of the BMW i7, BMW has presented five all-electric models to Chinese customers.

The rollout of the new BMW i3 demonstrates BMW's local development and production capabilities to a whole new level, Robert Kuessel, Senior Vice President, Technology & Manufacturing of BMW Brilliance Automotive, said.

On March 31, the BMW i3 was launched in China at a price of RMB 349,900 ($52,870) to target the market where the Tesla Model 3 is located.

The BMW i3 maintains a unified design with the fuel-fired 3 Series model, with only a few details to highlight its electric vehicle (EV) status.

On the inside, the model uses a 14.3-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch dashboard with the latest iDrive 8.0 interaction system.

The car adopts the fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive technology and excitation synchronous motor, with a maximum power of 210kW, maximum torque of 400Nm and 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.2 seconds.

The BMW i3 is equipped with a 70kWh ternary lithium battery pack and has a CLTC range of 526km.

As a comparison, the Tesla Model 3 is currently offered in two versions in China.

The entry-level Model 3 is priced at RMB 279,900 and has a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.1 seconds and a CLTC range of 556km. The expected delivery date for the model is 20-24 weeks.

The Model 3 Performance is priced at RMB 367,900 and has a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.3 seconds. It has a CLTC range of 675km and current expected delivery dates are 16 to 20 weeks.

During this year, BMW's production and pilot production all-electric models are expected to reach 15, covering about 90 percent of the luxury car segment, it said in the press release today.

By the end of 2025, BMW plans to deliver 2 million all-electric vehicles worldwide, a number that will reach 10 million by 2030, it said.

NIO's sales beat BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi's BEVs combined in China in March