ELECTRIC SUV BMW ix & ix3 | BMW Best use of electric drive & Features Explained
17The BMW iX will be the first vehicle to feature the automaker’s fifth-generation scalable EV technology, which means it can be adjusted to accommodate vehicles of different sizes and utility. The BMW iX will go into production at the company’s Dingolfing factory, located in Southern Bavaria, Germany, in the second half of 2021 and is scheduled to arrive on US shores in early 2022.
SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE ON US SHORES IN EARLY 2022
BMW didn’t reveal the size of the iX’s battery but says it will be capable of adding 75 miles for every 10 minutes of charge. The battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent capacity in under 40 minutes and from zero to 100 percent in 11 hours at an 11kW Level 2 charging station.
BMW didn’t release a suggested price, but considering the similarities to the X5 SUV, which sells for the recommended price of $59,400, and the added costs of battery manufacturing, it seems highly likely that the iX could retail for $70,000 or more.
But perhaps most tellingly absent is any mention of autonomous driving capabilities. When it unveiled its precursor, the iNEXT concept, in 2019, BMW hinted that the vehicle would be outfitted with Level 3 autonomous driving. This means the car would perform 100 percent of the driving tasks under certain conditions, but that drivers would need to standby to take control when needed.
That feature seems to be missing from the iX SUV. “It is still too early to answer any pricing or specification questions,” a spokesperson said Wednesday. BMW makes no mention of autonomous driving capabilities in the videos or press materials announcing the vehicle’s launch. And it was probably a wise move, too, considering the legal and regulatory morass surrounding Level 3 driving. (More on that in a minute.)
The good thing about the specs that BMW is releasing, as long as they hold up, is that this is all coming from what BMW says is the fifth generation of its electric drivetrain (the battery pack, electric motor, and other technology that put the power to the road). BMW fans were disappointed that the automaker never made successors for the i3 or the i8 in the years since those cars were released. But the company is iterating on the underlying electric technology. Now, that fifth-generation tech will not only power the iX but also the i4 sedan (which shares a lot of the design features of the iX) and the China-made iX3 (which is now officially not destined for the US).
As an electric crossover SUV, the iX resembles the X5 but with a lower roofline and a more aerodynamic profile. BMW says it will have the roof height of an X6 and the wheel size of an X7. The design team wanted the exterior to look “clean and robust, monolithic almost, like a well rounded stone with some facets sheared off,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW’s design director.
The iX was controversial when it was teased in concept form as the iNEXT in 2019, with its boxy, minivan shape and oddly shaped grille. The face of the vehicle features a unique take on BMW’s traditional kidney grille, sharing some of the aggressive characteristics of the company’s i4 concept sedan.