BMW Shifts To EV, Launches All new iX1 xDrive30 SUV

BMW on Thursday launched its much-awaited iX1 xDrive30 SUV to the Indian market which will be bought in India via Completely Built-up Unit (CBU). It will cost around INR 66.9 lakh (ex-showroom).

The SUV is based on the popular BMW X1, which was not just the bestselling luxury SUV for the brand in FY2023, but also the bestseller overall. Since it's based on the combustion-engined X1, the electric iX1 gets an almost identical design although with an 'i' on the front grille to differentiate it from the ICE vehicle.

On the inside, the SUV features a 10.7-inch touch-screen infotainment unit that is operated using BMW’s iDrive operating system. The digital information display is a 10.25-inch unit and the interiors are finished in aluminium ‘Mesheffect’ with chrome highlight accents. The rear bench can be reclined and the SUV has a boot space of 490 litres.

The iX1 has features like two-zone climate control, front seats with massage functions, Harmon Kardon sound system with 12 speakers, six ambient lighting modes and a panoramic sunroof. The SUV also gets adaptive LED headlights, automatic tailgate operation and parking assist.

The iX1 gets similar equipment as the ICE SUV with features such as ABS, ESP, traction control and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Since it's an electric vehicle and has no engine noise, it comes equipped with a feature that plays an artificial sound to alert people on the road about the presence of a vehicle. This works at a speed of up to 30 kph only.

The BMW iX1 comes equipped with a motor at each axle that gives it all-wheel drive capability. The combined power output figures are 313hp and 494Nm, which give the EV a 0-100kph speed of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 180kph. The SUV utilises a 66.4kWh battery pack and has a claimed range of 440km.

Using a standard 11kW AC charger, the BMW’s battery can be charged from 0-100 per cent in 6.3 hours. With a 130kW DC fast charger, the battery can be charged from 10-80 percent in just 29 minutes.

The BMW iX1 xDrive 30 is the most affordable electric vehicle BMW offers in the country. It also sells the i4 sedan, the iX SUV and the opulent i7.

The BMW iX1 sits between the EQB and XC  with rivals like the Volvo XC40 Recharge (Rs 56.9 lakh), Hyundai Ioniq 5 (INR 45.95 lakh), Kia EV6 (INR 60.95 lakh) and Mercedes EQB (INR 77.50 lakh). However, the brand could locally assemble the EV here in the future, as they are doing with the X1, to lower the prices.