As someone who has owned three BMWs, driven over 30 different models of BMW cars of various generations, and is about to join the BMW Motorrad motorcycle family as an “entry-level bimmer”, my love for BMW comes from the heart. This love is rooted in the BMW Group’s relentless pursuit of “pure driving pleasure and fun”, even though gasoline-powered vehicles have been “armed to the teeth” with technology, BMW has not forgotten its roots. However, the only time this passionate love seems to start cooling down without reason is when you awkwardly stick the blue sky and white cloud logo onto an electric car.
Ten years ago, BMW launched the i series, which was “astonishing” at the time, as well as the i3 and i8, two unique and groundbreaking models that are worthy of being included in automotive history. Nevertheless, it seems that even this could not save a bimmer’s fragile heart. Perhaps it was because BMW’s i series was too advanced back then or perhaps I was too immature at the time. However, no matter what, it seems as if “the pursuit of driving pleasure” and “electric new energy” are natural enemies.
But at this year’s Guangzhou Auto Show, I have decided to retract that statement. Because BMW i4, it’s here.
What an electric driving sports car benchmark should look like
As BMW’s first pure electric four-door coupe, the i4’s appearance really does make everyone “breathe a sigh of relief,” because it looks like the “BMW we know.”
The exaggerated “big nostrils” not only become more loveable the more you look at them, but also use a unique semi-closed air intake grille that cleverly integrates front cameras, ultrasonic, and radar sensors. The slim and intelligent laser headlights can illuminate up to 500 meters, providing more support for nighttime driving safety. The sculpted, smooth body surface, short front and rear overhangs, frameless glass doors, and streamlined roof highlight the classic profile of a BMW coupe. The elegant side window lifts up towards the rear and combines with the Hofmeister kink. The L-shaped 3D suspended taillights at the rear are slender and technological. The BMW i blue elements on the badge decoration, inner circle of the air intake grille, and rear diffuser decoration strip constantly highlight the electrification characteristics.
As the first electric car to enter the BMW M family, the BMW i4 M50 naturally deserves more unique design features, such as the distinctive semi-closed air intake grille, front side air intake, and M-exclusive exterior rear-view mirrors that can be matched with the cerium grey decoration of the M Performance model, and the carbon fiber exterior package can also be selected. The exclusive M emblem on the air intake grille and the trunk lid also clearly display the vehicle’s M performance.
But is it enough to simply have the “BMW look”? In BMW’s view, the driving pleasure remains unchanged despite the shift from fuel to electric power. And for BMW, the word “electric” is not a burden, but rather another key to unlocking the “performance and handling Pandora’s Box”.
Despite weighing in at 2.3 tons due to the 84 kWh battery pack installed on the chassis, the i4’s center of gravity is 36 mm lower than that of the thunderous M4 model. Driving and handling enthusiasts will surely understand what this means, as it results in a more stable body dynamic in turns and reduces the car’s swinging during turns.
In terms of performance parameters, the i4 is equipped with the fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive system, advanced chassis technology, intelligent lightweight design, and excellent aerodynamic characteristics. The BMW i4 eDrive40 model can output a maximum power of 250 kW/340 horsepower, with peak torque of 430 Nm, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.7 seconds. Meanwhile, the more powerful BMW i4 M50 model can output a maximum power of 400 kW/544 horsepower, with peak torque of 795 Nm, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in a frightening 3.9 seconds, matching the performance of the current flagship BMW M4 model.
In other words, when you are sitting in this “eco-friendly toy”, holding the steering wheel, stepping on the accelerator, listening to the “simulated sound waves” customized by Hollywood’s top composer Hans Zimmer (simulating V8 engine sound in high-performance mode), enjoying classical music in the Harman/Kardon sound system, and turning your head to see your brother driving the M4 thunderous version next to you, stepping on the gas and looking at you with a puzzled look, you may truly begin to understand and accept the arrival of the electric age.
The intelligent cockpit illuminates BMW’s technological treeUndoubtedly, I’ve always believed that BMW has the best human-machine interaction system in the “mechanical era”. However, when the iDrive system evolved into the 7.0 era, BMW caught up with the wave of automotive intelligence revolution. The various “screen-free” new products on the market made consumers dazzled. It seems that without a large screen, you are embarrassed to say hello to others. In this regard, BMW has indeed changed in line with the trend. The all-new BMW iDrive 8.0 operating system is also first installed on the i4 and innovative BMW iX models. In terms of hardware, it uses an integrated floating curved touch screen, redesigned the user interface, and has stronger connectivity and data processing capabilities. At the same time, BMW also retains the classic physical control knob button, enabling us, the old bimmer users, to achieve “seamless connection” at low learning cost.
As a senior iDrive operating system user, I can feel BMW’s intentions in the 8.0 system. For example, in the UI interface, BMW uses bold graphic design, future-oriented picture quality, rich light and shadow effects to provide drivers with a comprehensive immersive experience. It also upgrades the all-new BMW intelligent personal assistant visualization concept, creating a new emotional expression method with different sizes and brightness of breathing light balls. It updates richer third-party applications, such as WeChat Car Edition, Tencent Little Scene, and five-line Apple CarPlay, while also supporting OTA upgrades and more. Of course, we look forward to more in-depth experiences and testing of the intelligent cabin in the near future.
“Beyond Electric”
At the Guangzhou Auto Show, in addition to the i4, BMW also launched two new cars, one large and one small. One is the luxurious large pure electric SAV innovative BMW iX, which belongs to the same i series family, and the other is the all-new BMW 2 Series two-door coupe.
For the 2 Series two-door coupe, this can be said to be the rear-wheel-drive small steel cannon with the most driving pleasure that you can buy in the market with the least money for now.For the innovative BMW iX, it represents the future design direction and trend of the BMW Group. In terms of design, the “ShyTech” invisible technology is fully demonstrated. Sitting inside the car, the minimalist design style creates a modern and luxurious living room feeling. With the iDrive knob and adjustment button decorated with colorful glass and the panoramic adjustable skylight that spans the roof, the innovative BMW iX has established a good communication between “man and nature”. In my opinion, the innovative BMW iX is not only an electric vehicle, but also a phased achievement of BMW’s practice towards sustainable development. As a “zero” emission pure electric vehicle, the innovative BMW iX not only embodies the concept of sustainable development during the travel process, but also runs through the entire life cycle of the vehicle.
The center console of the innovative BMW iX uses FSC-certified sustainable wood for production; the interior and fabrics are made of a large amount of recycled materials, such as the 50% recycled polyester fiber material used for the fabric/microfiber interior, and the carpet floor mats are made of 100% recycled nylon material. The manufacturing process is more environmentally friendly, with olive leaf extracts used for leather processing instead of traditional tanning agents. These extracts come from tree leaves collected every year from trimmed olive groves in Europe.
It is worth mentioning that this innovative BMW iX has 18 BMW first-ever configurations, including Bowers & Wilkins 4D diamond surround sound system, panoramic adjustable skylight, integrated suspension curved screen, BMW digital key plus using UWB technology, and the new generation of sensors for BMW autonomous driving assistance system Pro, etc. The inherent “innovative”, “luxury”, “digital technology”, “driving pleasure”, and “green” are destined to make the innovative BMW iX occupy a place in the ever-growing electric vehicle market.
For such a car, it is really difficult to measure its value with the traditional automobile evaluation system. When it announces a selling price of 846,900 yuan, there will inevitably be two completely different voices in the market. And when intelligence and electrification sweep the automobile industry and continuously lower the threshold, BMW has not forgotten its leading role in technology and design as a pioneer, nor has it forgotten its responsibility for sustainable development as a traditional automobile industry giant.
FinallyFacing the pursuit of the new forces of electric vehicles and the continuous internal competition of traditional car companies, BMW handed in an impressive answer sheet at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The past decade since the birth of the i series has witnessed the biggest wave and transformation in the history of world automotive development, and the BMW Group has demonstrated great resilience and rapid response to the market based on its strong technological reserves. However, I believe that all of this is based on the brand’s pursuit of “pure driving pleasure”.
It is only when a bimmer says, “i4, you’re up!”, that BMW truly enters the door of a new era.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.