BMW India is all set to unveil its first all-electric sedan ‘i4’ on April 28, the company revealed on the sidelines of the India art fair. This will be the German car manufacturer’s third electric offering in the country after iX SUV and the MINI Cooper SE hatchback. The new BMW i4 EV, which made its global debut in June 2021, will also be India’s first electric sedan in the luxury car segment.
The BMW i4, is primarily an electrify 4 Series Gran Coupe, which is offered in two variants worldwide - eDrive40 Gran Coupe and the sportier M-branded M50 sedan. The new electric sedan, in terms of the powertrain, comes with an 81.5 kWh battery pack and produces 330 bhp of power and 430 Nm of torque. BMW also claims that the new i4 offer up to 590 km of range on a single charge.
BMW’s latest electric sedan, which is based on the same platform as the current 4-Series Gran Coupe, gets the same design details, but with blue highlights and accents to highlight its electric nature. The car also gets an option to upgrade to EV-specific designed alloy wheels, which are optimised for smoother aerodynamics to reduce the drag coefficient.
BMW i4 M50, which is also the first purely electric performance car from the BMW group, churns out 544 hp and gets all-wheel drive. It also offers a driving range of up to 521 km. The company also claims that its M version can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, while the eDrive40 trim can achieve the same in 5.7 seconds.
In terms of tech features, the BMW i4 features a curved integrated display for the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the 14.9-inch infotainment system. The car is also loaded with comforts features like multi-zone climate control, driver assist systems, and ADAS tech.
The BMW i4 is expected to arrive in India in both trims with the eDrive 40 likely to be launched first. The cost of the new i4 sedan is expected to start from Rs 80 lakh. The car runs on the company’s proprietary iDrive 8 software and also supports over-the-air updates.
BMW also claims that its electric sedan comes with a fast charge capacity of up to 200kW, which can recharge the battery from 0 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes, while a full charge using its 11kW home charger can be achieved in under 8 and a half hours.
The car also offers nearly 40 driver assistance functions such as front-collision warning, speed limit info and lane departure warning fitted as standard. In addition, safety features such as driving assistant professional including steering and lane control assistant, park distance control and reversing assist camera, and the remote 3D view are also available.