BMW India rolls out iX1 e-SUV, sold out for 2023 on its launch day

The electric SUV is built upon the foundation of the well-received BMW X1 and is now available in a single trim option

BMW India launched the all-electric iX1 Electric Sports Utility Vehicle (e-SUV) for Rs 66.90 lakh (ex-showroom), which also would be its most affordable battery-driven model in the country. The newly launched e-SUV, which is essentially the electric variant of X1 SUV, will be imported as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and will be available in a single xDrive30 M Sport variant.

While the German Luxury carmaker has commenced the bookings of the iX1 online, the deliveries are slated to begin from October onwards.

Vikram Pawah, President of BMW Group India said, “Being sold out completely on launch day itself is a great debut for the iX1 in India. We are confident that this exclusive electric Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) is poised to be a frontrunner in the luxury electric car segment. With cutting-edge electric choices from BMW Group India, our progressive consumers will further drive the advent of sustainable mobility.”

iX1 becomes the fourth electric car in BMW India line-up, which also has the i4 sedan, iX e-SUV and i7 luxury electric sedan, and will be taking on Volvo XC40 Recharge. The e-car by BMW is powered by a 66.4 kWh battery pack paired with twin electric motors and has a claimed range of 440 km (WLTP) in one full charge. It also comes with a BMW 11 kW wall box charger which takes 6.3 hours to fully charge the battery.

"The fact that every BMW electric car comes with a complimentary wall box charger and that we have opened up 24x7 access to our best fast charging network in 35 cities for customers of other brands as well is a step to accelerate electric adoption in the market. We will continue to boost the ramp-up of electric mobility by carefully expanding our range with well-thought-out and innovative products like the first fully electric BMW iX1," Pawah added.

BMW India revealed that the newly launched iX1’s powertrain generates 313 hp of power and 494 Nm of torque.  The company claims this model can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and has a top speed of 180 km/h. The iX1 also offers ADAS features a Lane Departure warning, cruise control with brake function automatic emergency braking and pedestrian protection.

“The latest model offers hassle-free charging, with a charging time of 29 minutes to go from 10 percent to 80 percent using the 130 kW DC Charger; from 10 percent to 80 percent in 29 minutes,” the company claimed in a release.

The BMW iX1 is available in one non-metallic paint variant, which is Alpine White, and three metallic paint variants, namely, Space Silver, Black Sapphire, and Storm Bay. The choice of upholstery includes Veganza Perforated Mocha and Veganza Perforated Oyster.

The iX1 is also equipped with a 10.7-inch touchscreen infotainment screen and a 10.25-inch fully digital instrument cluster, Harman Kardon surround sound system with 12 speakers, active front seats with massage functions, and ambient light. It also gets dual-zone automatic climate control, panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, and a floating armrest with storage.

The BMW iX1 comes with a standard two-year warranty for unlimited kilometres and the battery pack is covered by an eight-year or up to 1,60,000 km warranty.

After launching a slew of electric sedans over the last few years, luxury car brands like Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Lexus, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), etc., are now upping their ante on battery-run sports utility vehicles in the medium term.

While Audi India rolled out its Q8 e-tron last month, Mercedes Benz India recently introduced with EQE SUV for Rs 1.39 crore