Adib Noor
The BMW iX3 signals the start of and electric offensive in Brunei, said QAF Auto Sdn Bhd General Manager Alisa Khoo as BMW Asia and QAF Auto unveiled the new vehicle at Rimba Garden Central yesterday.
She said, “We plan to introduce three fully-electric models this year. We are excited to bring the first of these – the BMW iX3. We are confident that customers will be amazed by the drive and technology.”
A sports activity vehicle (SAV), the BMW iX3 joins a growing generation of electric vehicles from the BMW i-brand.
Ambassador of Germany to Brunei Darussalam Gerda Winkler; Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications and Co-Chair Electric Vehicle Joint Task Force (EVJTF) Haji Mohd Salihin bin Haji Aspar attended the unveiling.
Also present were QAF Brunei Group Chief Executive Officer Albert Lau; QAF Auto Head of Sales Daniel Loo; and government officials and corporate partners.
With the BMW iX3, the Group is raising the bar for driving pleasure in vehicles with an all-electric powertrain. It comes as standard with a model-specific M Sport package that accentuates the sporting aura of the purely electric SAV with 210kW/400 Nm. The BMW iX3 features fifth generation BMW eDrive technology, with an integrated drive unit which brings the electric motor, power electronics and transmission together within a single housing, and generates a maximum 210 kW/286 hp. The motor’s power is channelled to the road via the rear wheels.
The high-voltage battery is also the product of fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology. Its gross energy content of 80kWh and the electric motor efficiency enables a range of up to 460 kilometres.
Customer surveys and comparison drives by professional independent testers have shown how the new BMW iX3 utilises its lithium-ion battery to achieve an exceptional operating range – in everyday driving and exacting conditions including extremely low ambient temperatures and an extremely sporty driving style – when measured against its segment rivals.
Advanced charging technology enables up to 150 kW of power to be fed into the car at a DC fast-charging station. It can take on enough energy in the space of 10 minutes to increase its range by 100 kilometres as per the WLTP test cycle. This gives the BMW iX3 everyday usability.
As a fully fledged SAV, the BMW iX3 has unrestricted everyday usability and sporty, sure-footed and safe driving characteristics as a result of an well resolved overall design. It shares the rugged versatility of the conventionally powered variants of the BMW X3, offers generous levels of space for five occupants, has a load compartment whose capacity can be expanded from 510 litres to a maximum 1,560 litres, and brings the allure of locally emission-free driving pleasure to the globally popular premium midsize SAV segment.
The flexible vehicle architecture of the BMW X3 makes it the brand’s first model to offer highly efficient petrol engines, a plug-in hybrid drive system or fully electric drive.
The new BMW iX3 is available for viewing at QAF Auto, BMW showroom in Beribi.
BMW offers electrified vehicles in 60 per cent of the ASEAN region including in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei Darussalam.
