BMW iX - First-Ever All-Electric Luxury Car

A close look at BMWs revolutionary new electric vehicle

- Bertrand D'souza

BMW will soon be introducing its first-ever all-electric luxury car, the BMW iX, in India. Deliveries are slated to begin in the first quarter of 2022. The BMW iX xDrive40 will be the only powertrain variant available as a completely built-up unit for an initial price of Rs 1.15 crore (ex-showroom).

The BMW iX showcases some innovative and futuristic technology that is completely new to the segment, largely seen in the comfort and convenience feature list. Apart from the vehicle, BMW India will also be enhancing a charging grid spread across its dealer network in India in phases. These would be high speed DC chargers, with some providing Type 2 AC chargers instead of the fast charging systems. By the end of the year BMW India expects its complete dealer network, which is over 30 dealers, to be ready to charge electric vehicles from its own fleet and for anyone else with an electric vehicle from other brands.

With its strong appearance, the BMW iX’s front quickly attracts attention. It has a blacked-out BMW kidney grille that is anything but a traditional grille. It is instead a large flat plastic panel that houses several of the safety and driver assistance systems underneath such as radars, sensors and cameras. This piece of technology comes under BMW’s ‘Shy Tech’ array of tech goodies. Shy Tech is essentially a suite of technology features that aren’t visible to the naked eye but are constantly working to enhance driver comfort, safety and drivability. For instance in its simplest form, the flush door handles with door release buttons placed on the inner section of the handle recess are a part of Shy Tech. Even inside the cabin, there are no conventional door release handles, instead a button allows you to pop open the door.