The iX3 pure electric model is sold in Southeast Asia, with a lower price than the petrol version X3.

The cheapest version of the X3 currently sold in Singapore is the sDrive20i xLine priced at $188,800, which is slightly more than the iX3 electric version of about $1,000. Meanwhile, the most expensive version of the X3 is the plug-in hybrid xDrive30e xLine from $222,800.

The difference in price is because iX3 belongs to the A1 car series which is discounted under the VES (Vehicular Emission Scheme) program of Singapore. According to the government’s latest adjustment, cars of the A1 series registered from 1/2021 to December 31, 2022, will enjoy the highest reduction of $ 18,500 compared to $ 14,800 previously.

VES has been applied in this Southeast Asian country since 1/2018, including 5 vehicle classes divided by emission level. A1 is the cleanest car with the lowest emissions, followed by A2, B, C1, and C2. With two car classes C1 and C2, buyers even have to pay extra in addition to the suggested retail price. The purpose of VES is to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles and gradually abandon internal combustion engine cars.

Meanwhile, the 4 petrol versions of the BMW X3 are all C1 class, which means they have to be charged an additional 11,000 USD compared to the proposed price. That means 222,800 USD mentioned above is not the final price for Singapore customers when buying X3.

The BMW iX3 is equipped with an 80 kWh, 400 V battery under the floor, with a rear electric motor producing 282 hp and 400 Nm of torque. The pure electric car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 180 km/h. iX3 runs 459 km per full charge. The fast charger helps the car reach 0-80% charge in just 34 minutes.

After the first sale in the Chinese market at the end of 2020, the iX3 arrived in Europe and is already available in the Southeast Asian market. Particularly for the US market, the German automaker has no plans. The iX3 will compete with the likes of the Audi e-tron, Mercedes EQC, and Tesla Model X.

Source: vnexpress.net