BMW have shown their all-electric iX which will join the iX3 and i3 to be the third pure electric car from the company at the end of 2021. Just like the new 4 Series Coupé, M4 and M3, the iX will feature the new ‘beaver teeth’ kidney grille with the intelligence panel. That being said, its headlights are a little different. They’re a lot slimmer than one would expect, a bit like what the concept Vision iNEXT looked like.
The car also features a much boxier design than normal for BMW. The design results in a low coefficient of drag of just 0.25Cd. The front badge hides the windscreen washer fluid filler neck while the rear badge hides the rear-view camera. The iX is designed with frameless windows. The vehicle also eschews door grab handles for flush-fitted handles. The chassis is constructed with extensive use of aluminium and carbon fibre. Recycled material makes up a high proportion of the vehicle.
Inside, the iX features some firsts, including a hexagonal steering wheel, crystal knobs for the door-mounted seat controls and media volume control. There’s a curved infotainment display and a newly designed gear selector. The open pore wood applied to the centre console houses touch sensitive media controls. The car is 5G enabled.
Two rare earth-free electric motors provide the BMW iX with 500hp and a 100kWh battery enables a range of 600km. 0-100km/h is done in a respectable 5 seconds. The vehicle can use DC fast charging to charge from 10 to 80% in just 40 minutes.
Here are the highlights of the press release with more information.
PRESS RELEASE
Look ahead to the forthcoming BMW iX, which is still in its series production development phase. First model based on the BMW Group’s new future toolkit. BMW iX is the company’s new technology flagship, bringing together the latest innovations in the fields of electric mobility, automated driving and intelligent connectivity. New minimalist design expresses a futuristic form of driving pleasure.
• BMW iX redefines the successful Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) concept with its clear focus on sustainability, spaciousness and interior wellbeing. Powerful proportions, with the exterior length and width of the BMW X5, the height of the BMW X6 and the wheel dimensions of the BMW X7. Luxurious, relaxing feeling of space with a lounge-like ambience
for passengers in the five seats.
• Design and technology form an overall package that smooths the way into a new age of individual mobility. Myriad innovations underline the role of the BMW i brand as a “workshop for the future” at the BMW Group. Production to get underway in the second half of 2021 at BMW Plant Dingolfing: market launch from the end of 2021.
• The fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology provides standout efficiency. Two electric motors with maximum output of more than
370 kW/500 hp power the BMW iX from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph)
in under 5.0 seconds. Combined electric power consumption of less than 21 kWh per 100 kilometres (62 miles) in the WLTP test cycle. High-voltage battery with gross energy content of more than 100 kWh ensures a range of over 600 kilometres in the WLTP cycle. That equates to more than 300 miles according to the EPA’s FTP-75 test procedure. (All figures are predicted values based on the car’s current stage of development.)
• Optimised performance over long distances thanks to a high range and state-of-the-art charging technology. DC fast charging at up to 200 kW allows the battery to be charged from 10 to 80 per cent of its full capacity in 40 minutes. Ten-minute fast charge adds 120 kilometres (75 miles)
to the car’s range.
• All-encompassing sustainability concept: electric motor manufactured without using raw materials known as rare earths, high-voltage battery with exceptionally high recycling rate. The power used to produce
the battery cells, the high-voltage battery and the vehicle as a whole comes exclusively from renewable sources. High proportion of recycled and natural materials used for the exterior and interior, including FSC- certified wood and leather tanned with olive leaf extracts.
• New technology toolkit enables further advances in the areas of automated driving and digital services. Extremely high level of computing power for data processing, extremely powerful sensors, 5G capability provides the basis for optimised automated driving and parking functions.
• Reduced use of character lines and generously shaped surfaces create an imposing body design. Precisely worked details accentuate the modern premium characteristics and efficiency of the BMW iX. The doors have frameless windows; the tailgate has no separation joints and extends across the whole of the rear.
• Eye-catching, vertical and almost enclosed BMW kidney grille serves as an intelligence panel with integrated sensors, camera and radar technology for advanced driver assistance systems.
• Slimmest headlights ever featured on a BMW Group model. Full-LED headlights fitted as standard, BMW Laserlight with matrix function for high beam available as an option. LED rear lights are also extremely slim and have a distinctive light design.
• Shy tech for the exterior: filler neck for the windscreen washer fluid below the BMW logo on the bonnet, flush-fitted door openers activated at the touch of a button, sensors integrated out of view, rear-view camera with cleaning system integrated into the BMW badge on the tailgate.
• Accents in BMW i Blue accentuate the sustainable character of the BMW iX. Sport package with dynamically designed exterior features and BMW Individual Exterior Line Titanium Bronze available as an option.
• Effective increase in efficiency and range courtesy of intelligent lightweight design and optimised aerodynamics. Weight savings thanks to aluminium spaceframe construction with Carbon Cage. Targeted aerodynamics measures at the front and rear, in the underfloor section and for the wheels reduce drag for an outstanding Cd figure of 0.25.
Air Performance Wheels in 21- and 22-inch formats on the options list.
• Totally newly developed architecture for the interior. Vehicle as a whole designed from the inside out. Luxurious feeling of wellbeing created by generous levels of space, a high-quality materials mix, a slim instrument panel, newly developed seats with integral head restraints and an exceptionally large panoramic glass roof. Omission of the centre tunnel creates extra legroom and space for storage compartments, plus
a centre console crafted to look like a high-quality piece of furniture.
• Reduced design language and clear, uncomplicated functionality put the needs and wellbeing of the car’s occupants at centre stage. BMW Curved Display spans a fully digital screen grouping
