BMW will finally unveil their flagship electric vehicle next month. The BMW iNEXT (more on the naming convention below) will first show its exterior design, followed in 2021 by an unveil of the high-tech cabin. The new electric crossover will become BMW’s next technology flagship with a series of innovations.
2021 BMW iNext Design
The BMW iX will be a crossover that fits between the X3 and X5 in terms of size and therefore will be offered with all-wheel drive. Considering the wheel sizes will go from 20″ to 22″, you can easily picture how tall this car will be. The heavy camo of the early test prototype are now gone revealing a bold front fascia with a two-piece large kidney grille.
The upright grille sports a mesh design, hiding plenty of radars and sensors behind it. The headlights are slim and sleek, and they’re connected to the kidneys on each side. The bonnet features some spectacular creases which enhance the sportiness of the electric crossover.
The front bumper will also present a typical BMW i aerodynamic approach, that’s set to reduce the drag as much as possible and thus improve the electric range of the model. The iX will feature a typical BMW i C-pillar, that starts to become a recognizable design cue.
The design cues of the rear area are not entirely visible, but the wide-opening tailgate is confirmed, as well as a dynamically curved back end. We have yet to see the definitive shape of the tail lights, but they’ll most likely be similar to the ones on the Vision iNEXT showcar, albeit toned down and slightly reinterpreted. Unlike the concept car, the production model has normal mirrors and door handles.
Inside, we expect to see BMW’s best interior design to date. There will be several touchscreens to control the car and display relevant information, as well as plenty of high-tech. The next-gen iDrive 8 is also expected to be part of the package, along with the new 5G technology.
As BMW’s most advanced model you can expect the car to be packed with plenty of semi-autonomous driving features.
2021 BMW iNext battery and range
The rumormill churns out that there will be three variants of the high-tech electric crossover. The power range is rumored to vary from 300 to 600 horsepower. One of the three BMW iX models will also have a significant electric range measured on the WLTP cycle.
The entry level BMW iX will deliver 230kW (308 horsepower), the middle model around 390kW (522 horsepower), while the top iX will bring 455kW (610 horsepower) to the table.
Clearly, the most important aspect of an electric vehicle is the electric range. And the BMW iX won’ disappoint. The electric range is rumored to span from around 400 km to over 600 km per full charge. These figures are measured on the WLTP cycle.
2021 BMW iNext Name, Price and Launch Date
BMW seems to have set their eyes on the “iX” name on the boot. The simple naming convention indicates that this is their flagship crossover, and certainly their top electric vehicle. But there is still a need to differentiate between the three variants to be offered.
We believe that a numeric badge will follow the “iX”, something along the lines of iX40, iX50 and iX60. The numbers simply indicate the more expensive model.
Pricing has yet to be revealed, but based on our own projections, comparable to the other BMW products, we anticipate the base iX40 model to start in the low 70,000 euros range and going all the way up to 120,000 euros.
Production of the BMW iNEXT (iX) will begin in 2021 while the US market is rumored to get their models in November – December of the same year.
