BMW iX: the details of the two versions of the 100% electric SUV

BMW iX

The zero-emission SUV from the German carmaker, presented at the end of 2020, is ready to challenge the electric models of other major brands such as Audi, Mercedes and Tesla. The new BMW iX is one of the company's most innovative vehicles, in fact it is equipped - among other things - with the new eighth-generation Drive infotainment system. The fully electric SUV should debut on the market by the end of 2021 and - apparently - will be available in two different engines, namely the iX xDrive50 and the iX xDrive40. The prototypes of the BMW iX are still committed to what should be the last tests, for this reason - despite the technical specifications have been released - the information regarding this could undergo some changes.

However, the new vehicle of the German car manufacturer should guarantee a range of 400 km for the iX xDrive40 version and 600 km of autonomy for the iX xDrive50 version. From this point of view, therefore, it would seem that the zero-emission vehicle with an engine called iX xDrive50 is clearly better than its rivals Audi and Mercedes, which guarantee a range of less than 500 km. To achieve this result in terms of autonomy, the German car manufacturer seems to have focused a lot on the low energy consumption of the vehicle, which is around 20 kWh / 100, thanks also to excellent aerodynamics and the very low weight of the SUV itself. As far as power is concerned, it reaches 370 kW / 500 hp.

The new iX appears to be very efficient in performance as it is capable of sprinting from 0 to 100 km / h over a period of 5/6 seconds. The German carmaker is inevitably very enthusiastic about the new BMW iX, especially from the point of view of sustainability. So, here is what the German company said:

The extraction of raw materials is carefully monitored, with the electricity used in the production process coming exclusively from renewable sources. The whole machine also has an extraordinarily high proportion of recycled materials. Lithium, a fundamental raw material for the production of batteries, is supplied by the BMW Group directly to manufacturers to ensure complete transparency on the origin of the raw materials.

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BMW iX price comes much higher than expected at more than $80,000

BMW has confirmed that the BMW iX, its new electric SUV, is going to start at over $80,000 in the US, which is much higher than originally expected.

For years, BMW has been hyping the release of the iNEXT, its next-generation electric vehicle.

BMW’s head of sales and marketing, Ian Robertson, previously shared doubts about Tesla’s ability to produce Model 3 in volume at $35,000, and in the process, he said that the iNext would be the real competitor in the segment.

Last year, BMW announced that the iNEXT electric SUV is becoming the “BMW iX.”

The vehicle is everything but a Tesla Model 3 competitor.

It’s an SUV equipped with a battery pack with “a gross energy content of more than 100 kWh” enabling  “more than 300 miles based on the EPA standard.”

With those specs, it was becoming clear that the BMW iX would be nowhere near the price range of the Model 3.

Now, BMW has confirmed a rough pricing estimate for the iX in the US and said that it will start in the mid-$80,000 range:

“US pricing will be announced closer to market launch but the iX is expected to have an MSRP starting in the mid $80’s.”

That’s more than twice the starting price of a Model 3 and closer to a Model X, which is also a closer vehicle in terms of size and functionality.

BMW said that the US market launch is expected in “early 2022 with pre-ordering to begin in June 2021.”

During the unveiling last year, the German automaker also said that the electric SUV is going to be powered by two electric motors with a total 370 kW/500 hp power capacity resulting in a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration in under 5.0 seconds.

In terms of charging capacity, BMW iX is going to be able to DC fast charge at up to 200 kW, and the automaker believes that it will be able to charge from 10 to 80% state of charge in under 40 minutes.

I don’t know what happened between Robertson’s comment and now, but it looks like the BMW iX program changed radically.

In a way, it does make sense.

Like Tesla, which started with more expensive vehicles like Model S and Model X, BMW is starting at the higher end of the market with its next-generation electric vehicles.

Hopefully, the BMW i4 is going to achieve a lower price point.

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