The iX is BMW’s new flagship for the next-generation of luxury motoring and it debuts at EV Weekend Singapore

---

EV Weekend is Singapore’s First and Largest Electric Vehicle event, and it’s on from 3-12 December 2021 at Resorts World Sentosa! Check out the latest EVs from Audi, BMW, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Mini – see them in person, test drive them, and understand all there is to know about EV ownership and more. Sign up at evweekend.sg to find out more and win exciting prizes.

---

UPDATE December 3, 2021: The iX has made its public debut at EV Weekend with pricing details.

SINGAPORE

If you attend EV Weekend Singapore, you’ll be amongst the first to catch a glance at BMW’s next-gen car made flesh.

No it’s not a concept car, but this machine – the BMW iX – is its new flagship for the electric age.

That itself is a strong statement. In car industry terms, this means the iX is the standard-bearer for technology and performance for the BMWs that will follow it. Remember that the BMW 7 Series luxury limousine has, until now, occupied the role of harbinger for BMW? That changes in the electric age with the iX now leading the charge.

What is the iX?

If you’re looking for an equivalent gasoline model, like the iX3 is to the X3, there isn’t one.

Everything about the iX is new, from design, to architecture, to the onboard luxury and technology – it’s a completely new SUV and designed to be fully-electric from the beginning.

BMW says that the ‘iX combines the functionality of the BMW X5 with the dynamism of the BMW X6 and the visual impact of the BMW X7’.

At just under five metres long, the car is comparable in size to the X5, but that’s where the similarities end. If your eyes haven’t already cued you in, the iX also breaks new ground in design terms – it fits right in with the futuristic SUV aesthetic.

There are some cues that will be familiar though: The D-pillar is split horizontally, which is a BMW i hallmark from the first i cars the i3 and i8.

Then there’s the huge, vertical kidney grille we already saw on the current 4 Series family, but the iX has a new ‘nanoscale’ paint coating and self-repairs from minor scratches. The iX also has the slimmest lights of any production BMW. 

The iX runs on a new-gen EV platform using lightweight materials. Most of it is made of aluminium, and even the exterior is a blend of carbon fibre, steel, and aluminium to shave off weight. BMW’s Carbon Core technology, seen the 7 Series limo, means key structural elements are made of carbon fibre too. 

If it appears clean and monolithic, that’s on purpose. Firstly, for a slippery, aerodynamic body shape. With 0.25 Cd, BMW boasts that the iX is the most aerodynamic car of its kind.

Secondly, the car introduces a new BMW design idea – shy technology. That’s the opposite of high tech, meaning that advanced tech is not obvious and is hidden away until it’s needed. Examples of this outside include flush door handles, hidden sensors and such.

Inside, you’ll notice the same clean approach to design and a reduction of clutter all around: “The vehicle itself technologically is very, very complicated, and it is probably the most intelligent vehicle that BMW has ever built. But it’s this technology which has allowed us to reduce the interior design dramatically,” says Adrian Van Hooydoonk, BMW Group’s chief of design.

One thing the iX isn’t shy of is its screens: The driver’s instrument screen is 12.3-inches, while the infotainment screen is a massive 14.9-inches, and both are presented together behind one pane of glass. The interior’s lounge-like ambience is an extension of the i3’s, though much larger, it still uses recycled and sustainable materials and processes. 

---

---

Performance and range 

If you want an electric car with top-level performance, and it has to be a BMW, this is basically it. BMW claims impressive specs on paper with the iX, thanks to its fifth-gen electric-drive technology that’s already proven itself in the iX3. The upper-spec variant will also have a claimed 600km of range, which will make it one of the EVs with the longest-range here in Singapore.

There are two versions of the iX available internationally, and the same should be true for Singapore: The iX iDrive40, and the iX iDrive50i.  The iDrive40 model will have 322hp and 630Nm of torque, all-wheel drive with dual motors, around 400km of range from a 71kWh battery, and 150kW DC fast charging. 

The iDrive50 model has 523hp and 765Nm of torque – 0-100km/h in under five seconds – and a larger 105kWh battery pack which should deliver 600km of range. It’s capable of 200kW DC fast charging. Further afield there will be a sportier, high-performance iX M60 version with more than 600hp.

So, why this car?

As BMW’s electric flagship, the iX is shaping up to be something special, even in the world of luxury electric vehicles (EV), and that in itself could be reason enough for some. Naturally, if you want to be one of the first to see it in person, you’ll have to come down to EV Weekend to see what the future of BMW looks like.

BMW iX iDrive50*

Electric Motor	523hp / 765Nm
Battery	Lithium ion, 105.2kWh
Charge Time / Type	10 hours / 11kW wallbox 35 minutes (10-80%) / 200kW DC charger
Electric Range	590km WLTP average
0-100km/h	4.6 seconds
Top Speed	160km/h
Efficiency	21.4kWh/100km
Price	TBC

---