BMW looks likely to follow Audi's e-tron with a battery-powered full-size crossover, the heart of the premium EV market, when the iNEXT debuts in 2021.

BMW teased a design sketch of the iNEXT at its annual meeting on May 17. It showed the silhouette of a vehicle with an extended, downward sloping roofline common to sporty off-roaders.

Although its name would indicate it might be a production version of the BMW Vision Next 100 concept, BMW execs said the iNEXT had nothing to do with the shimmering copper-colored study shown at the brand's centennial celebrations two years ago.

Instead, according to a BMW executive who declined to be named, the vehicle will be an SUV — as many crossovers are known in markets outside the U.S. — rather than a car such as the Vision Next 100 or the upcoming i4 sedan, which is essentially a battery-powered 4-series Gran Coupe. BMW has not given a launch date for the i4.

This suggests the iNEXT would slot above the iX3, the i subbrand's first electric cross-over due in 2020, which was shown as a concept last month in Beijing.