Quote:
Originally Posted by CliveL
There is already a Mini Countryman PHEV which has been around for about 2 years over here in the UK, and that has the same underpinnings as the F48 X1, so you'd hope it shouldn't be a great leap to bring out the X1 PHEV which was last mentioned for March 2020. I don't know if the Countryman PHEV is available in the US?
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good point about the mini Countryman PHEV. I believe it is available in the US, but restricted to the States using the California emissions standards. I know I haven't seen one in Texas or if it uses the 9+ KW-H battery reported for the X1 LCI.
Another point: I saw some reporting that the X1 PHEV would use a rear-mounted electric motor, rather than integrated into the FWD drivetrain. Doesn't make any sense to me from a financial standpoint, but it would be really attractive if so as it would be RWD a la i3 when in battery mode. The point in favor of doing this is to get AWD without the complication of a rear driveshaft and diff. It would also free up the transmission tunnel for battery space as in the mini. I can see where that would be important in the mini, because of limited space; but in an X1, there are lots of other places to put the battery. Also, there is late reporting that the US version would use the 4 cyl engine; rather than the 3-cyl i8 package. None of this makes financial sense, to me, except that apparently the i8 will get a 4 cyl engine soon. Wouldn't that be a hoot: an i8 front engine and an i3 rear motor. Would make the X1 PHEV a Unicorn! Can anyone shed light on this?