German luxury carmaker BMW is all set to unveil the i4 electric sedan in India on April 28th. The BMW i4 will be the second pure electric car from BMW to enter India after the iX SUV and the launch of the electric sedan is expected to happen in the month of May.
The BMW i4 was first introduced in 2017 as the BMW i Vision Dynamics concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The concept i4 arrived 3 years later in March 2020. The production version of the i4 arrived last year and is currently offered in two guises – the rear-wheel-drive i4 eDrive40 and the all-wheel-drive i4 M50 xDrive.
The BMW i4 eDrive40 is powered by a single 3-phase synchronous electric motor that sits on the rear axle of the sedan. This electric motor produces 335bhp and 430Nm of peak torque. The BMW i4 eDrive40 sprints from 0-100km/h in just 5.7 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 190km/h.
The BMW i4 M50 xDrive is powered by two 3-phase synchronous electric motors that sit on each axle and combine together to produce 536bhp and 795Nm of peak torque. The BMW i4 M50 xDrive sprints from 0-100 in 3.9 seconds and tops out at 225km/h.
Both BMW i4 models use the same 83.5kWh (usable – 81.9kWh) battery pack. With this battery pack, the i4 eDrive40 delivers a maximum range of 590 kilometres which drops to 520 kilometres for the M50 xDrive variant (range figures as per WLTP testing).
The BMW i4 comes with an onboard AC charger that supports 11kW. The i4 also supports DC fast charging and with the appropriate CCS Combo 2 charger can charge at a maximum rate of 200kW. This means that the BMW i4 can add up to 164 kilometres of range when plugged into a DC charger that supports these fast charging speeds.
The dimensions of the i4 are the same as that of the G22 4-Series. The BMW i4 is 4,785mm long, 1,852mm wide and 1,448mm tall. The wheelbase of the BMW i4 is 2,856mm long. The extra motor and other all-wheel-drive gubbins mean that the i4 M50 xDrive weighs in at 2,290 kilogrammes compared to the rear-wheel-drive eDrive40’s 2,125 kilogrammes.
In terms of its looks, the i4 looks quite similar to the BMW 4-Series coupe sold abroad. Up at the front, the i4 electric sedan sports the rather divisive vertical kidney grilles which are blocked off. The front bumper features large air intakes to help keep the electric powertrain of the i4 sedan cool.
To help differentiate the i4 from its internal combustion engine powered G22 siblings, BMW has given the i4 quite a few blue highlights. These can be seen around the badge and the kidney grilles and on the sides of the sedan along with the diffuser section at the rear.
Inside, the layout remains similar to its ICE siblings with a dual-screen setup for the driver’s display and the infotainment system. The blue accents can be seen on the inside as well with the gear lever piping and the start/stop button all done up in blue. The i4 M50 xDrive model, which is the first all-electric model from BMW’s M division ditches the blue highlights altogether.
Thoughts On the BMW i4
The i4 will be the carmaker’s first all-electric sedan for the Indian market and the third all-electric model from the BMW group to enter the country after the Mini Cooper EV and the iX SUV. With prices expected to start at around the Rs 80 lakh mark, the BMW i4 will have no rivals in the Indian market which should help the Bavarian marque carve a niche for itself in the small Indian luxury EV market.
Keyword: BMW i4 Set To Arrive In India On April 28th - Get Ready For the Ultimate Electric Driving Machine