2022 BMW X1 snapped in Germany, to spawn BMW iX1 electric SUV [Update]

Update: ‘Performance & Efficiency’ sections updated with range estimation.

BMW Group’s EV offensive, which envisions 13 electric models in showrooms by 2023, has the BMW iX1 as its protagonist. As confirmed in November 2020, the BMW X1, the entry-level crossover in the BMW SUV range, will move to its third generation this year. The new BMW X1 will have a pure electric variant – the BMW iX1. Here’s everything we know about the new BMW electric car:

Testing

The BMW iX1 (seen charging here) has a larger upright grille, while the roofline is a bit sportier than the current model. Image: Roc Terricabres Esperalba

New spy shots the web media carried recently revealed that BMW testers and engineers now run more advanced prototypes of the electric X1 on European roads, signifying that the project has progressed. The BMW iX1 will be a basic electric vehicle converted from the third-gen BMW X1 (codename: BMW U11).

Earlier, TopElectricSUV.com readers Roc Terricabres Esperalba (Instagram) and Ricardo Liebsch Allegro had spotted prototypes of the 2022 BMW X1 in Germany. In this story, we discuss all the known aspects and the expectations from BMW’s crossover EV.

Design

The third-gen X1 will lead to the BMW iX1 compact electric SUV. This won’t be the first electric X1 as BMW Group’s Chinese JV produced limited units of the older generation branded as the Zinoro E1.

The BMW X1 will get an evolutionary redesign with its second lifecycle makeover. Ricardo’s pictures show the roofline sloping into the rear at a steeper angle, making the compact SUV look sportier. The reason why we talk about the X1’s design here is that the iX1 will carry the same silhouette and mirror most design elements.

On March 16, 2022, the Media Day of the BMW Group Annual Conference 2022, Oliver Zipse, the company’s CEO, teased the BMW iX1 with a sketch of its front-end. The iX1 has a noticeably more dominating face than the second-gen X1 and even more so compared to the original X1.

BMW Germany website now also has a dedicated page for the iX1. Below is the teaser from the BMW Group Annual conference from March 2022 via Youtube.

The teaser shows the BMW iX1 sporting new twin-eyed headlights with inverted L-shaped DRLs. Large and angular C-shaped side air inlets sit right below the headlamps. The new kidney grille looks boxier, giving the SUV a powerful look. It is expected to be blanked out (like the BMW iX3) with blue accents. It is not expected to follow the tracks of the BMW iX.

Pop-out door handles & special wheels

Recent spy shots have shown the BMW iX1 featuring flush door handles, which is emerging as a trend in EVs. Like on the iX, the flush door handles on the iX1 will likely be operable electrically with the press of a button. They would give the new electric SUV a sophisticated styling and also improve its aerodynamic efficiency, which in turn could lead to marginally reduced energy consumption. The iX1 may also feature specially designed wheels that are lighter and allow smoother airflow, wrapped with new, noise-reducing tires.

Upsizing

According to a report from Auto Bild, the next-gen X1 could be way bigger than the current model, potentially altering its positioning. While the X1 F48 is 4.45 meters (175.2 inches) long, the X1 U11 could stretch to 4.60 meters (181.1-inches), as per the report. That significant increase of 0.15 meters would benefit the wheelbase, translating to a more spacious interior, and the flexibility to intake a large battery pack. If the X1 grows as much, it will be dangerously close to the X3 (length: 4.70 meters or 185.0 in.). The speculation of the X1’s dimensional increment is supported by the new Mini Countryman that is ascending half a segment in the new generation.

Interior

With stronger styling, multiple range options, lower price, and wider availability than the iX3, the BMW iX1 is poised to become the best-selling BMW electric car. According to a report from CAR magazine, the iX1 will have a bespoke cockpit, which could mean bigger and/or more advanced screens and HUD and a distinctive steering wheel.

Curved display & iDrive 8

Interior spy shots floating on the web reveal the application of BMW Curved Display in the 2022 BMW X1. BMW Curved Display clubs the instrument cluster and central display to form a single curving screen that makes the cockpit even more driver-friendly. These images have shown a single, wide AC vent below the central display, where traditionally BMWs have two small AC vents. Along with employing the new BMW iDrive system running on BMW Operating System 8, expect the designers to trim the number of buttons and switches substantially.

BMW Live Cockpit Professional & Digital Key

The BMW iX1 should offer the brand’s new-generation navigation with BMW Maps. The cloud-based navigation system should be a part of the BMW Live Cockpit Professional system. BMW Maps calculate the routes and estimated time of arrival or ETA with great precision and speed. The new maps also provide the opening hours, photos, and ratings of the points of interest along the route in detail. They also suggest a more likely route to include an available parking space at the destination and give information about the nearest car park shortly before arrival. Connected Charging should help the driver find charging stations easily. The BMW Digital Key could also be offered in the iX1.

Platform & Strategy

The third generation of the BMW X1 will be underpinned by the modular FAAR (Frontantriebsarchitektur – which, when translated to English, reads as Front Wheel Drive architecture). The FAAR, a multi-energy platform, is designed to be compatible with internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric.

BMW’s management says that consumers view the multi-energy platform differently from the media or experts who consider EV-exclusive architectures superior. “This purpose-built conversion topic in my opinion is nothing which the customer really discusses. The customer is discussing the design, the brand, and the connectivity and the powertrain,” Jochen Goller, President & CEO, BMW Group Region China, mentioned at the BMW Group Analyst and Investor Day 2021 in March 2021.

An investor presentation from May 2021 confirms the electric vehicle launches BMW Group has laid out until 2023, including the X1 and 7 Series EVs.

On taking the place of the BMW i3

The BMW i3, which completes 9 years on the market this year, has about 250,000 customers to its name. For shoppers seeking a larger product with all-electric capability, two SUVs are available in the BMW line-up: the BMW iX3 and the BMW iX. However, the U.S. does not get the smaller SUV, as its reach is restricted to China and Europe.

In future, models such as the high-volume BMW 5 Series and the X1 as well as the BMW 7 Series will be available with four different types of drivetrain – all-electric, plug-in hybrid, petrol and diesel.

Excerpt from the BMW Group Report 2020

A BMW spokesperson has told Autocar that the production of the i3 will end in July 2022. According to a report from Suddeutsche Zeitung, BMW has learned that customers want a larger electric car or a (similar-sized) model with a more attractive design. That’s where the BMW iX1 and the Mini Countryman EV step in.

Performance & Efficiency

The iX1 is expected in two range options, with the higher model delivering up to 400 km (249 mi) in WLTP. Image of the BMW X1 PHEV used as illustration. Image Source: BMW Group

Variants

BMW expects the iX1 to consume between 17.3-18.4 kWh/100 km (62 mi) and deliver a range of 413-468 km (257-291 miles). These figures are the company’s forecast based on the previous state of vehicle development, as per the WLTP cycle. The official WLTP cycle ratings of the series-production vehicle could be slightly different.

According to a report from BMWBlog, the iX1 will be available in two variants: iX1 eDrive20 and iX1 eDrive30. The base variant should pack a single, front-mounted motor that produces under 200 horsepower. The top-end variant, called iX1 eDrive30, should have an additional motor at the rear axle that, together with the front-mounted motor, offers around 250 horsepower. BMW’s energy consumption and range estimates suggest that the storage capacity of the iX1’s battery pack, which will feature BMW’s fifth-generation eDrive technology, could be around 70 kWh, similar to the BMW iX xDrive40 and the incoming Chinese BMW i3 sedan.

400-volt system

The BMW iX1 would feature the same 400-volt system as the current wave of electric Bimmers. BMW Group is expected to have its 800-volt battery system ready when it introduces the first Die Neue Klasse EV in 2025. Don’t expect the iX1 to support rapid charging at 350 kW; 200 kW could be the maximum capacity of the compact electric SUV at the charging station.

Production

Manufacturing of the BMW iX1 will take place at the BMW Group Plant Regensburg facility in Germany. BMW Group hasn’t revealed the exact SOP date, but according to another report from BMWBlog, the first units roll off the assembly line in November 2022. BMW Group’s Leipzig and Regensburg factories started producing high-voltage batteries and battery components in Leipzig and Regensburg in April 2021.

Release Date

On the Media Day of the BMW Group Annual Conference 2022, Zipse confirmed that the iX1 will arrive at the end of 2022. He said:

Starting at the end of the year, the new iX1 will be our fully electric offer to customers in the high-volume premium compact segment.

Oliver Zipse, CEO, BMW Group, (BMW Group Annual Conference 2022 – Media Day on March 16, 2022)

With the official reveal of the iX1 scheduled in late 2022, we expect the market launch in Q1 2023 (January-March 2023). According to the product listing on the BMW Germany website (bmw.de), the iX1 will arrive shortly after the market launch of the next-gen X1.

BMW iX1 in the U.S.

According to BMWBlog‘s sources, there’s no plan to release the iX1 in the United States. BMW Group hasn’t ruled out the all-electric compact SUV for the market, but the American sales launch is not a priority.

By 2030, BMW Group aims to sell more than 1.5 million EVs annually, and the entry-level iX1 is a strategic launch towards that goal. For the mid-term, it has set a goal of delivering two million EVs to customers by 2025.

BMW iX1 FAQs

What is the BMW iX1 release date?

Customer deliveries of the BMW iX1 are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2023.

Which electric cars are considered as BMW iX1 rivals?

The BMW iX1 will rival the Tesla Model Y, Volvo XC40 Recharge, and the Mercedes EQB.

What is the estimated BMW iX1 price?

The price of the base iX1 is expected around EUR 54,000 in the European market.

Keyword: 2022 BMW X1 snapped in Germany, to spawn BMW iX1 electric SUV [Update]