BMW i7

Munich's seventh-generation flagship limousine enters the all-electric age

Perhaps it's the Pinherently traditional character of the full-sized limousine that has made it one of the slower vehicle classes to embrace electrification. The race is now on, however, to carve out a lead in the fully electrified luxury saloon market and BMW is joining the vanguard.

Mercedes struck first with the EQS at the end of 2021, before the Genesis Electrified G80 arrived in 2022. And in 2023, we will see the segment-defining Tesla Model S return to the UK market in its latest form, reportedly followed by right-hand-drive examples of the Lucid Air. An all-electric Audi A8 is expected in 2024. There's clearly no time to waste for any firm to build an early lead in luring luxury car buyers who are ready to electrify.

The seventh generation of Munich's 7 Series limo is designed to do just that. In UK showrooms now, the car has launched in all-electric form only, in the shape of this week's road test subject: the i7 xDrive60. Later this year, 7 Series buyers will also be offered two plug-in hybrid versions, to be followed by a range-topping M Performance model, the M70.

Unlike some of its opponents, this car shares its platform with combustion-engined alternatives but, as we will explain, that doesn't prevent it from offering what looks, in principle, like a very complete package of performance, range, space and features, all wrapped in the expected 21st-century luxury.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

There isn't yet a successful template to follow for manufacturers such as BMW when it comes to electric limos. Mercedes elected to make the EQS a distinct entity from the S-Class, allowing greater freedom in its design, but BMW has chosen instead simply to electrify the 7 Series as part of a common derivative range that still includes combustion-engined options.