BMW has unveiled the all-electric BMW i4 and the i4 M50 in the international market. The BMW i4 is the brand’s first all-electric sedan, and the i4 M50 is the performance-oriented variant of the four-door sedan. The brand will announce the market price of the i4 and i4 M50 in November 2021, but BMW has not announced if it will launch the electric sedan in the Indian market. It is also important to note that all the specification revealed are preliminary, and homologation figures are not yet available.
The BMW i4 features an elegant four-door Gran Coupe design with a practical yet sporty character. According to the brand, the BMW i4 is the “hallmark BMW solution between sportiness and long-distance ability”. The BMW i4 features a flexible vehicle architecture and an extremely stiff body structure. The i4 comes with a front axle subframe that is fixed to the high-voltage battery. The car also features model-specific torsion struts and an aluminium shear panel.
The BMW i4 features a blanked-off front end with slim vertical air intakes for the braking components. The car features a BMW kidney grille integrated with an integrated camera, ultrasonic and radar sensors. The BMW i4 also features slim headlights with BMW Laserlight and BMW i Blue accents. The BMW i4 M50 features M Carbon exterior package and M Performance Parts, and bespoke performance-led cues. The i4 also features wraparound taillamps and a geometric lower apron to improve aerodynamic efficiency. The BMW i4 features aerodynamics with a Cd of 0.24.
On the inside, the BMW i4 comes with an instrument panel in Sensatec and leather. The car also gets Vernasca leather trim and BMW Individual leather trim variants. The vehicle also gets ambient lighting, Harman Kardon Surround Sound System and a large sunroof. But the piece de resistance is the new BMW Curved Display. The new display is a grouping of 12.3-inch information display and a 14.9-inch control display. The display features BMW Operating System 8 and natural spoken dialogue using the extensively upgraded BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. The display also features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The BMW i4 comes with over 40 driver assistance functions. These features include Speed Limit Info, Lane Departure Warning and Front-collision warning, fitted as standard. The i4 also comes with Park Distance Control, and Reversing Assist Camera fitted as standard. The car also features Active Cruise Control with automatic Speed Limit Assist, route monitoring function, Traffic Lights recognition and reaction in Germany. The vehicle also features Driving Assistant Professional, including Steering and Lane Control Assistant. As an option, the i4 comes with Parking Assistant with Reversing Assistant. Parking Assistant Plus with functions including Surround View and Remote 3D View.
Powering the BMW i4 is the fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology. The brand will offer two variants, the BMW i4 eDrive40, which comes with a 250 kW/340 hp electric motor and rear-wheel drive. The battery returns a range of 590 kilometres on a single charge in the WLTP cycle. The performance variant, BMW i4 M50, will come with a 400 kW/544 Hp power unit and four-wheel-drive technology. The i4 M50 returns a range of 510 kilometres on a single charge in the WLTP cycle.