The recently launched BMW iX1 EV sold out in India within hours of its launch despite its premium price tag as a completely built-up (CBU unit) of Rs 66.90 lakh, ex-showroom. Deliveries of the BMW iX1 will commence in October itself.
BMW iX1 EV – BMW President’s comment on the success
When asked about the success of the iX1 in India, Mr. Vikram Pawah, President of BMW Group India said that he’s thrilled to receive such an amazing response for the BMW iX1, since its X1’s first fully electric variant in India. He further adds that being sold out on the launch day itself is a huge success and a great debut for the iX1 in India.
BMW iX1 EV – Powertrain and Performance
Anyways the SUV has several reasons to be this successful apart from the rising demand of EVs in India. Unlike its ICE counterpart, the X1, which only has a 2WD drivetrain, the iX1 offers AWD as a standard courtesy of its twin-motor setup. As a result, the combined power and torque it churns out is 313 hp and 494 Nm. It’s quite fast considering it can do the 0-100 kph run in just 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 180 kph.
The EV further has a 66.4 kWh battery pack and an impressive driving range of 440 km on a single charge. The charging takes just 29 minutes for 80% considering you use the 130 kWh DC fast charger and 0-100 % takes 6.3 hours if using the standard 11kW AC charger. Also, it takes just 10 minutes to recharge up to 120 km of driving range,
BMW iX1 EV – Design and Features
Design-wise, the BMW iX1 is similar to the X1 but with some minor changes such as the “I” in the iX1’s front grille and blue accents on the bumpers, side steps and grille.
The car is available in 4 monotone colours – Grey, Silver, White and Black.
On the Inside, the EV gets the BMW’s slim curved touchscreen Display, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster with navigation support, wireless charging, Harman Kardon 12-speaker sound system and safety features like ABS, traction control, ESP and ADAS. The EV is further equipped with a feature that plays an artificial sound to make other drivers aware of its presence since it is an electric vehicle and has no engine noise.
BMW iX1 EV – Rivals
The BMW iX1 EV is the most affordable BMW EV in India and though it’s quite costly due to being a CBU unit, it still managed to get sold out which is quite impressive. It is on sale alongside its siblings – the iX SUV, i4 sedan, and i7 luxury sedan.
The EV takes on the likes of Volvo XC40 recharge (Rs 56.9 lakh), and Mercedes EQB (Rs 77.50). Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV 6 can also be considered rivals, but they are not direct rivals to the BMW iX1.
The BMW X2 and iX2 have also been teased recently by the brand and will hit the global market in 2024. The ICE and EV SUVs are also expected to launch in India soon and now the hopes are higher because of iX1’s amazing success.
