German luxury car manufacturer bmw will manufacture its electric vehicles (EV) locally in India. With this information, a senior BMW official said, production of electric cars in India is a matter of time. BMW expects nine percent of its total sales in India to come from electric cars in the first half of 2023. The company hopes to reach 25 percent of that number by 2025.
Production of the BMW EV will begin soon
“As the volume increases, we will localize them (EVs) like other products and we will manufacture them locally,” BMW Group India President Vikram Pawah told PTI. He said there are two aspects to the localization of EVs in India ‘Quantity first here and technology second.’
500 cars of four models were sold in six months
Pava says, “It is only a matter of time. There must be some trade-off between quantity and consistency. Now we see good signs. We delivered only 500 cars of four models in the first six months. From this point of view it is a small number. But it’s definitely growing fast,” he was saying when asked if BMW has plans to produce EVs locally in India. BMW’s electric cars include the i7, ix, i4 mini SE.
BMW I7
BMW i7 prices start at Rs 1.95 crore (ex-showroom).
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Variants: The BMW i7 Electric Sedan Single 740 xDrive is available in 60 variants.
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Electric motor, range and battery pack: The i7 gets a dual motor setup with a 101.7 kWh battery pack that delivers 544 PS and 745 Nm of power.
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Its WLTP certified range is 625 km.
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Charging: The BMW i7 electric car can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in 34 minutes with a 195 kW DC fast charger. It takes five and a half hours to charge the same amount with a 22kW wallbox charger.
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Features: The i7 Electric has a 31.3-inch 8K touchscreen display for rear passengers, 12.3-inch curved digital cockpit, 14.9-inch infotainment system, powered front and rear seats with massage function and ambient lighting. Comparison: The BMW i7 Electric competes with the Mercedes-Benz EQS.
BMW I4
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BMW i4 prices start at Rs 69.90 lakh (ex-showroom).
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Variants: The BMW i4 is available in single variant eDrive40.
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Electric motor, range and battery pack: The i4 gets an 83.9 kWh battery pack, which is bigger than the ix electric SUV.
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According to WLTP, this car is capable of delivering a range of up to 590 km.
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Its eDrive40 variant has a single electric motor that powers the rear wheels.
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Its power output is 340PS/430Nm.
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Charging: The battery of this electric sedan will be fully charged in 30 minutes via a 250 kW DC fast charger. At the same time, a full charge will take 8.5 hours with an 11 kW home wall box charger, while with a 50 kW DC charger, this car will charge up to 80 percent in 1.3 hours.
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Features: The BMW i4 has several premium comfort features including tri-zone climate control, plus perforated upholstery, new 12.3-inch digital driver’s display and 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Also, features like cruise control with braking, semi-automatic parking assist system, powered tailgate and power adjustable front seats are also available. The i4 eDrive40 has a 17-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
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Safety features: For passenger safety, it gets features like six airbags, dynamic traction control, tire pressure monitoring system, stability control and ISOFIX child seat anchors. Comparison: Competes with the BMW i4 EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Volvo XC40 Recharge.
BMX IX
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BMW IX prices start at Rs 1.16 crore (ex-showroom).
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Variants: The BMW ix xDrive is available in 40 variants.
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Seating capacity: ix is a 5 seater electric car.
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Motor, range and battery pack: The ix gets a 76.6 kWh twin battery pack, all-wheel drivetrain and dual-motor setup.
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According to WLTP, its xDrive40 variant can travel up to 425 km on a full charge. This electric vehicle supports a fast charger of up to 150 kW, due to which its battery can be charged from 0 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.
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Features: 12.3-inch digital driver display, 14.9-inch touchscreen system, optional Bauer & Wilkins sound system with 4D audio function, 5G mobile connectivity and optional headup display are offered on the ix.
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Comparison: The BMW ix rivals the Mercedes-Benz EQC, Audi e-tron and Jaguar i-Pace.
