- BMW India has unveiled the
India-spec i4 electric sedan ahead of its launch on May 26, 2022. The i4 will
be the BMW Group’s third all-electric car in India, after the flagship iX SUV and
the Mini Cooper SE hatchback.
- Unlike the BMW iX which is a born
EV, the i4 isn’t a grounds-up EV. It is based on a specially adapted version of
the 3 Series’ CLAR
architecture and is essentially an all-electric version of the 4 Series Gran Coupe.
- Few EV specific design touches
include the blanked-off front grille like most EVs, aero-optimised wheels, blue
accents, flush door handles and tweaked front and rear bumpers.
- The i4 doesn’t get a flat floor and
free centre console area like we have seen on the BMW iX. Still, the highlight
of the interior is the curved twin-screen set-up consisting of a 12.3-inch
digital instrument cluster and a 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The
system runs BMW’s latest iDrive 8 user interface and even supports over-the-air
updates.
- The new BMW i4 in India is expected
to be sold in two variants – eDrive40 shown today and the more powerful M50
xDrive. The i4 eDrive 40 gets a rear axle-mounted electric motor that produces
340hp and 430Nm, and BMW claims a 0-100kph sprint in 5.7 seconds. The i4 M50
xDrive, meanwhile, gets all-wheel drive, produces 544hp and 795Nm, and can
sprint from 0-100kph in 3.9 seconds.
- Both variants use a floor-mounted,
lithium-ion battery pack that has a gross (total) energy capacity of 83.9kWh
and a net (usable) capacity of 80.7kWh. The i4 eDrive 40 has a claimed range of
590km (WLTP cycle), while the performance-oriented M50 xDrive has a range of
510km (WLTP cycle).
- As for charging, the i4 can charge
at rates of up to 200kW, adding 164km of range to the eDrive40 in just 10
minutes. It also gets regenerative braking that can top up the battery at rates
of up to 116kW in the eDrive40.
- The i4, once launched, won’t have any direct
competitors in our market. Instead, the top-spec M50 xDrive will loosely rival
the entry-level versions of the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan.
- Automobili Pininfarina is set to take the wraps off its new electric hypercar concept at next week's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
- Currently codenamed PF-Zero, it will be the first production car branded as Pininfarina from the renowned Italian design house. A total of 150 examples will be produced and sold globally after the production-spec model launches in 2020. The model will be the brand’s halo product. It will be followed by several all-electric models that are a part of Automobili Pininfarina's product plan.
- Along with confirming the model’s Pebble Beach debut, the company has also released sketches of the PF-Zero's interior, which show a minimalist and driver-focused layout for the two-seat hypercar.
- Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra, which owns Pininfarina, previously said that the hypercar will draw “upon the pedigree and design vocabulary of the Pininfarina aesthetic heritage" to "develop a rare collector’s item that only a handful of connoisseurs will ever own".
- He said that the PF-Zero will "be an innovative and pioneering product powered by high technology" and combine "power, beauty and high-end EV technology".
- A source said that the Pininfarina brand will be given an initial investment of $100 million (about Rs 703 crore) from Mahindra to fund the creation of its model range.
- Automobili Pininfarina's CEO, Michael Perschke, has more than 25 years of industry experience. He is joined at the helm by chief operating officer Per Svantesson, who has previously worked at Volvo.
- “Establishing Automobili Pininfarina as a leading sustainable luxury brand is our strategic vision and will be a dream come true," said Perschke. "It will combine 88 years of iconic design heritage with leading-edge electric vehicle competence of the Mahindra group and Mahindra Formula E racing. It’s a powerful combination."
- Mahindra intends to invest a total of about £358m (about Rs 3,205 crore) into Automobili Pininfarina over five years. The new brand will work independently of its parent’s EV division, Mahindra Electric, with operations based in Europe.
- BMW will reveal a concept version of its M8 performance car with a four-door Gran Coupé body at the Geneva motor show. The concept, partially shown in a new shadowy picture, will preview the look and styling of the M division's 608hp range-topper in its most practical guise. Along with those new back doors, it will have a longer roofline to offer increased rear head room.
- The concept for the BMW M8 Gran Coupé – as it is expected to be called – foreshadows a production version, which is due next year. The four-door version of the M8 will sit alongside the coupé and convertible models at the top of the new 8-series range, which will appear on public roads in November.
- Although it has yet to be officially revealed, we know the production M8 models will use BMW's twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine because the racing M8 that competed in this year's Daytona 24 Hours was equipped with this powerplant. Without motorsport restrictors to worry about, the finished road car is expected to produce 608hp. This places it above the latest 600hp M5 and giving it more firepower than the Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupé, which has 585hp.
- M division president Frank van Meel revealed that development of the M8 has started at the same time as the regular 8-series and that their programmes ran in parallel. He said that the M8 builds "on the genes of the 8-series and augments its DNA with an added track ability and generous extra portions of dynamic sharpness, precision and agility."
- "It all flows into a driving experience that bears the familiar BMW M hallmarks and satisfies our customers’ most exacting requirements,” said van Meel. He also said that BMW's engineers set out "to ensure that the standard car wasn’t too sporty for its customers", because the M division "wanted the M8 to feel like a proper step up".
- "Also, because not all 8-series customers want an M car," he added.
- “We certainly want to make a statement with this car," he said. "It will sit at the very top of our model range and, for now, we have no confirmed plans for any series production model above it, so we understand it must have a specification suiting its position in our hierarchy.”
- Images of the Japanese carmaker's upcoming UX crossover have been released ahead of its public debut at the Geneva motor show. The images – consisting of both exterior and interior shots – show that the car, in addition to being one of the brand's most aggressive-looking models, will also be as agile as a hatchback. This is mainly thanks to an all-new platform with a low centre of gravity.
- Inside the car, there's a new widescreen infotainment system that appears related to the one used in the Lexus LS. The small SUV – which brings the fight to the Jaguar E-Pace and Mercedes-Benz GLA – stems from the UX concept, which was revealed at the Paris motor show, back in 2016.
- The UX will be powered by a mix of internal combustion engine and traditional hybrid powertrains, as proven by Lexus’ trade marking of the UX200, UX250 and UX250h monikers, following the concept’s reveal. This suggests the car will share engines with lower-end NX SUV models and the ageing CT hatchback. It is thought that the UX will eventually replace the CT. Features of the production car will be toned down from those of the concept; the large, intricate wheels and door cameras in place of mirrors are the first to go.
- Its rivals range in length from 4,400mm to 4,450mm; so it’s likely that the UX will sit somewhere in the middle. The Lexus RX L, a seven-seat version of its large SUV featuring three rows of seats, will make an appearance at the Geneva motor show, alongside the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept, which was first revealed at the Detroit motor show, in early January.
