The new naming convention designates the upcoming EV, ICE and PHEV models, with M350 reserved for a new M vehicle.
March 22, 2023 at 19:47 ET
BMW was busy recently, registering trademarks for 48 new names at the German Patent and Trademark Office. The presentations come amid a number of new electric cars the automaker plans to launch in the coming years and hint at plans to overhaul its model naming convention.
We’re used to BMW’s current naming scheme, which uses three numbers to indicate model range and engine displacement or trim level. These numbers are occasionally preceded by M to indicate a performance version, or followed by a suffix such as d, ioe, to indicate an engine type. Vehicles are generally referred to by the first number, such as the 3 Series, which could be anything from a 318i to an M340i.
The new brands include names with the i, X and iX prefixes for vehicles such as the i120, iX130 and X750. Applying current naming logic would suggest that the i120 and iX130 are 1 Series vehicles while the X750 would be a 7 Series. The X usually refers to an SUV or crossover such as the X7 or X5, while the i as a prefix denotes an electric vehicle like the i4.
Since BMW will continue to offer traditional internal combustion engines in the future alongside hybrid and electric vehicles, it’s a good bet that the naming conventions will continue to reflect the current model designations. In the case of the 5 Series, a conventional combustion engine version would have a designation such as the 530i, or 530d for a diesel. The hybrid version would be called the 530e, while the electric-only version would be the i530.
There was only one filed M model among the M350 trademarks. The most likely vehicle is a hotter version of the 3-Series, which either supersedes or replaces the M340i. However, there is no indication if this is a petrol, electric or hybrid vehicle.
The additional brands make sense, given that BMW expects EVs to outsell ICEs and PHEVs by 2028. Meanwhile, BMW continues to revamp its lineup. We recently saw the revised 2024 BMW 4 Series Coupe and a new M5 tearing up the Nürburgring.
