BMW has invested millions upon millions of bucks into the development of its "i" family of cars. Despite only two models currently on the market, the i3 and i8, the automaker made no secret of its desire to build additional models. Everything from a city car to a crossover has been rumored, but today the future of BMW's EV lineup is becoming clearer. According to sources who heard directly from BMW insiders, the automaker is planning to stretch the i3's platform in order to make it more family friendly.

Set to be called – no surprise here – the i5, the idea is to create extra legroom in the rear and a larger trunk. Overall length should be no longer than the Mini Countryman. The biggest structural change, however, will be the i3's rear door which would have to be re-engineered. Another issue that'll need to be worked out is whether the electric motor will need additional juice due to i5's great load-carrying capability. No exact launch date has been mentioned, but mid-2015 or early 2016 is likely.