GLC EV AND iX3 TO LOCK HORNS IN NEW-ERA DUEL

Mercedes and BMW will begin vital new chapters with electric SUV rivals

- WILL RIMELL AND CHARLIE MARTIN

BMW and Mercedes-Benz will go head to head with the new iX3 and GLC - a pair of radical electric SUVs that will kick-start crucial new eras for the two German marques. The pair are set to headline the Munich motor show in September. The event (see overleaf) is shaping up to be Europe's biggest motor show since the Covid pandemic, with Volkswagen, Renault, Polestar and others also set to reveal crucial models.

The significance of the new iX3 and GLC cannot be understated as both car makers attempt to gain a foothold in Europe's most hotly contested new car segment in a bid to increase EV sales in the face of tightening emissions regulations.

The two SUVs also mark major milestones for BMW and Mercedes. Both introduce advanced underpinnings and designs that will be adopted across their respective brands in the coming years.

İX3 BEGINS BMW'S NEUE KLASSE AGE

Of the two, the iX3 is arguably the more radical, because it will usher in BMW's long-awaited Neue Klasse age, which includes a total reset of its design, engineering and marketing. The second-generation electric iX3 will be sold alongside the current, fourth-generation petrol X3 and will sit on the all-new Neue Klasse architecture. As a result, the new iX3 will have slimmer batteries, more efficient motors and clever technology that BMW claims will be a “quantum leap forward” from today's electric offerings.

The size of its nickel-manganese-cobalt pack, which features new cylindrical cells, has yet to be disclosed but BMW says the iX3 will offer a range of 497 miles - 210 miles more than the first-generation car. That would make it Britain's longest-range EV, going even farther than the new Mercedes-Benz CLA EQ saloon, which currently tops the charts at 484 miles.

Gen6 platform's 800V electrical architecture means the SUV will also be able to charge at up to 400kW, enabling a 218-mile top-up in just 10 minutes from suitable chargers.