This is the BMW iX, a new all-electric flagship that BMW has described as the “dawn of a new era” for the brand. Still under final development, the SUV will not go on sale for another 12 months, but when it does arrive in UK dealers it’s expected to cost in the region of £100,000.

Essentially a production version of the iNext concept that was first showcased back in 2018, the iX is the first model from BMW to be based on an all-new, scalable architecture that will go on to underpin a range of future vehicles.

The iX makes use of BMW’s fifth-generation eDrive electric motors, which are more compact and power dense than the units you’ll find in an i3, for example. A 100kWh battery located beneath the floor of the iX feeds power to two motors, one on each axle, that develop in excess of 500bhp. BMW says that enables a 0-62mph time of less than five seconds.

More significantly, the large battery enables a range of 376 miles when fully charged; that’s around 100 miles more than you get in the recently-revealed iX3. BMW also claims the battery can be topped up at a rate of 200kW, meaning an 80 per cent recharge can be achieved in under 40 minutes.

New 2021 BMW iX: platform and automated driving
The platform beneath the iX, based around an aluminium spaceframe and carbon-fibre core, has been developed with a focus on electric vehicles and greater levels of automated driving functions. BMW says the level of computing power in the iX is 20 times greater than anything it has previously developed for a production vehicle, and that this allows the SUV to process double the amount of data from sensors.

“We are setting new industry standards with the technology in the BMW iX,” says Frank Weber, BMW board member for vehicle development. “The iX has more computing power for data processing and more powerful sensor technology than the newest vehicles in our current line-up, is 5G-capable, and will be given new and improved automated driving and parking functions.”

New 2021 BMW iX: design and technology
BMW has issued no dimensions for the iX other than a wheelbase of 3,000mm. However, the firm has said that the SUV is comparable to that of an X5 in terms of length and width, and is as tall as an X6.

An interpretation of BMW’s new kidney grille design features prominently on the front end, but the grille has been blanked off as a way of indicating that the iX is an electric vehicle. It also houses the vehicle's camera, radar and sensor technology that is required for automated driving.

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