BMW has launched its i4 electric sedan in India, priced at Rs.69.90 lakh (ex-showroom, India). This new model is just below the flagship iX electric SUV in the brand’s Indian portfolio, which is the electric counterpart of the regular 4 Series Gran Coupe as well as the second EV offering from the brand in India. It will be brought to India through CBU route.
The BMW i4 electric car is based on the CLAR architecture, powered by an 83.9 kWh battery pack and mated to a rear axle-mounted electric engine. This engine produces 340 hp power and 430 newton meter torque. This car can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in just 5.7 seconds and can accelerate to 190 kmph.
BMW claims that the i4 can be charged at up to 205kW, adding up to a range of 164km in just 10 minutes. Globally, a top-spec M50 xDrive version of the i4 is also available, which comes with all-wheel drive and is powered by an electric engine that develops 544 hp and 795 Nm of torque. This version can accelerate from 0-100 kmph in just 3.9 seconds and is claimed to have a driving range of 510 km.
The BMW i4 can also be charged with a conventional wall box charger at 11kW, which charges the battery from 0 to 100 percent in 8.5 hours, and the electric sedan also features regenerative braking. BMW claims a range of up to 590 km (WLTP-rated) on a single charge with it, which is the highest among all luxury electric cars available in India. Its design is largely similar to that of the ICE-powered model, but has been tweaked to give it an EV character.
This includes a close-off front kidney grille that gets 10-stage active air flaps, front lip spoiler, 17-inch aerodynamically-optimized wheels, blue accents, flush door handles along with front and rear bumpers. The BMW i4 measures 4,783 mm in length, 1,852 mm in width and 1,448 mm in height. Its wheelbase has been kept at 2,856 mm, which is 39 mm longer than the regular 3 Series sedan. However, due to the low floor, the ground clearance of the i4 is only 125 mm. The BMW i4 is being offered in a single eDrive40 variant.
The cabin layout and dashboard of the regular 4 Series Coupe has been retained in the BMW i4. The electric sedan gets a curved twin-screen set-up that gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, system over-the-air updates, a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It also gets BMW’s new iDrive 8 user interface.
BMW has also equipped the car with rear air suspension and lift-related dampers for added comfort and stability while driving. Other features of the BMW i4 eDrive40 include 3-zone automatic climate control, LED ambient light, sunroof, reverse parking assist with camera and 17-speaker Harman Kardon surround sound system.
