BMW i4 Fully Detailed. Launch Date, Variants and More

The all-electric BMW i4 gets detailed – its variant names, delivery date and more shared.

Yesterday, we talked about BMW’s upcoming iX – an all-electric SUV that now has a release date. Today, we’re going through another one of BMW’s all-electric products, the i4. The i4 began life as a conceptual rival to the Tesla Model S back in 2018. By 2019, the prototype was being tested. We then got a full production-ready reveal of the BMW i4 a few months ago.

Now, there’s even more information out. The all-electric BMW i4 has been fully detailed, including a launch date, variant names, performance figures, and more.

The launch date is set for November 2021.

There will be 2 variants at launch – a “basic” version and a BMW M tuned variant. This will be the first all-electric vehicle to bear the BMW M brand.

The versions are called:

• BMW i4 eDrive40
• BMW i4 M50

Performance is as follows:

Battery notes:

• 83.9 kWh
• extremely low cell height of 110 millimetres
• Up to 200kW DC fast-charging. Recover as much as 164km of range with a 10-minute charge.

Chassis notes:

• built on a chassis made purely for electric vehicles
• torsion struts, aluminium shear panel and front axle subframe are affixed to battery casing
• C_d of 0.24
• double-joint sprint strut front axle
• five-link rear axle
• rear axle air suspension standard (adaptive M suspension on i4 M50)
• near-actuator wheel slip limitation

The i4 M50 can be optioned with BMW IconicSounds Electric, composed by Hans Zimmer.

Model-specific drive sound delivers authentic feedback to movement of the accelerator and speed. BMW i4 M50 with extremely energy-charged soundtrack. Optional BMW IconicSounds Electric enables integration of new sound variants created as part of a collaboration with film music composer Hans Zimmer.

Here’s the press release with more details.

PRESS RELEASE

Largely blanked-off front end and striking BMW kidney grille with discreetly integrated camera, ultrasonic and radar sensors. Slim headlights, optionally with BMW Laserlight. Colour accents in BMW i Blue. BMW i4 eDrive40 in M Sport specification and BMW i4 M50 with bespoke performance-led cues. M Carbon exterior package and M Performance Parts available from launch.

Luxurious premium ambience and variable-use interior space. Acoustic glazing, pre-heating and pre-conditioning, Sport seats and sports steering wheel as standard. Centre console with modern-design control panel for the gear selector lever, BMW Controller and function keys. Large tailgate comes as standard with electric opening and closing mechanism. Load compartment capacity of 470 litres can be expanded up to a maximum 1,290 litres. Electrically extendable and retractable trailer tow hitch optional. Permissible trailer load: 1,600 kilograms.

Wide array of individualisation options as is typical of premium models. Driving pleasure and comfort enhanced by options such as seat heating and ventilation, Vernasca leather trim and BMW Individual leather trim variants, instrument panel in Sensatec and leather variants, M Sport package Pro, ambient lighting, Harman Kardon Surround Sound System and large glass slide/tilt sunroof.

Premiere for new generation BMW iDrive control/operation system. Clear focus on touchscreen functionality of the new BMW Curved Display and natural spoken dialogue using the extensively upgraded BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. Fully digital screen grouping of 12.3-inch information display and 14.9-inch control display. Advanced graphics and powerful software based on BMW Operating System 8.

Automatic climate control with new control approach using touchscreen display and integrated nanofiber filter. Intelligently coordinated temperature control using airflow control, seat heating and steering wheel heating.

Remote Software Upgrades keep the software “always fresh”. Navigation with cloud-based BMW Maps system. Route planning including mid-journey stops for charging using Connected Charging. Extensive smartphone integration including use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Personalisation through BMW ID and My BMW App. Integration of personal mobile accounts into the car via Personal eSIM. Fast data transmission using 5G.

Around 40 driver assistance functions available. Front-collision warning, Speed Limit Info and Lane Departure Warning fitted as standard. Optional Active Cruise Control with automatic Speed Limit Assist, route monitoring function and (in Germany) reaction to traffic lights. Also available: Driving Assistant Professional including Steering and Lane Control Assistant.

Park Distance Control and Reversing Assist Camera fitted as standard. Optional Parking Assistant with Reversing Assistant. Parking Assistant Plus with functions including Surround View and Remote 3D View.

Clear focus on sustainability through responsible use of resources throughout the value chain and maximum reduction in CO₂ footprint across the full product lifecycle. Vehicle production at BMW Group Plant Munich; battery cells manufactured using 100-per cent green energy.

Extensive use of secondary raw materials, natural materials and recycled materials. Specific design principle for the electric motors allows the use of rare earth metals to be avoided. Controlled, transparent and sustainable extraction of cobalt and lithium for the high-voltage battery.