Under the guidance of the brand-new “first strategy”, BMW Group is constantly laying out the five future innovation directions represented by D-ACES (design, automation, interconnection, electrification and service), pioneering and innovating, and leading the transformation of the industry to achieve sustainable success. On March 3, the BMW Group’s first pure electric four-door coupe BMW i4 concept car made its world premiere at the BMW Group headquarters in Munich, ushering in a new era of pure electric driving pleasure.
As BMW’s first medium-sized high-end pure electric vehicle, the pure electric BMW i4 concept car brings electric drive technology into the core of the BMW brand, and makes a new interpretation of BMW’s world-renowned excellent dynamic performance. Elegant and sporty design combined with the spaciousness and functionality of a four-door coupe, while also achieving zero emissions. As BMW Group Senior Vice President Design Hoydencke puts it: “Its design is dynamic, simple and elegant. In short, it is a perfect BMW that has achieved zero emissions.”
New design language, opening the era of luxury and innovation of electric vehicles
The pure electric BMW i4 concept car adopts a brand-new design language, which is beautiful and smooth, with both interior and exterior.
Appearance – Electrified design aesthetics, elegant, stylish and dynamic. The pure electric BMW i4 concept car has a subtle collision between the stylish and elegant appearance and the dynamic driving experience. The well-designed proportions of the four-door coupe create a reliable, modern and confident appearance. The crisp, smooth lines and compact body surface outline a stylish sculptural sense, paired with a very modern “matte bright copper” body paint, which vividly reflects the modern aesthetic design and produces a shocking visual effect.
Blue elements at the front, sides and rear underscore the car’s BMW i DNA. Combined with the iconic BMW i design, it is not only visually striking but also hints at advanced electric technology. The closed kidney grille effectively connects BMW’s present and future, and has been endowed with new functions. With no internal combustion engine and no need for a cooling system, the grille now serves primarily as a “smart panel” housing various sensors, surrounded by BMW i-style blue accents that complement the front-end design. The classic angel eye headlights have been reinterpreted and interpreted in a very modern and minimal way. Two hexagonal LED elements on the sides integrate all the necessary lighting functions.
The rear of the pure electric BMW i4 Concept car is very close to the ground, creating a wide and sporty image. The slender L-shaped taillights complement this design style, and the powerful rear air deflector also improves aerodynamic efficiency.
The pure electric BMW i4 concept car adopts the new BMW brand identity, its two-dimensional transparent design is seamlessly integrated, and the special body paint is more eye-catching. The concept car not only looks to the future in terms of aesthetics, technology and innovation, but also explores the design potential of the BMW brand identity.
Interior – Innovation meets minimalist design. The interior of the BMW i4 Concept showcases the driver-centric design philosophy. A newly designed curved display sits in front of the driver and extends above the center console, adding style to the area forward of the cockpit. The display’s slim bezel-less design has a premium feel. Adhering to the principle of overall, simple design, almost all operating functions are integrated into the display, thus reducing the number of touch controls to a minimum. For example, the automatic climate control system is also operated via touch screen.
The combination of warm golden copper trim and chrome makes the interior look more upscale. The center console replaces the traditional gear lever with paddle shifters. Components such as iDrive control buttons and seat memory buttons are made of brilliant crystal material components. The seat material is composed of microfiber with line patterns and natural leather tanned with olive leaf, which is not only of high quality, but also reflects the design concept of environmental protection and sustainability. These designs are combined to create a clear structure, spacious and bright driving space, so that the occupants in the car can feel the tranquility of the electric car more strongly.
Rear passengers have ample headroom and legroom, well beyond what customers would expect from a coupe. The sporty feel is further enhanced by the integral head restraints of the front and rear seats, whose perforated design is reminiscent of the latest BMW sports models. The rear seats continue the horizontal line from the door, creating a casual feel for the rear cabin. At the same time, the rear seats adopt the same dynamic shape as the front seats, which enhances the sporty atmosphere.
The new human-computer interaction design marks BMW’s entry into the future electric digital era
The combination of the new curved display screen and the steering wheel embodies the new driver-oriented positioning, and at the same time demonstrates the future innovative design of the mass-produced BMW i4 and BMW iNEXT display systems. The display screen optimizes the way information is displayed in horizontal grouping, realizing a convenient information browsing experience. At the same time, it provides a more intuitive touch screen operation, and is made of non-reflective glass material, highlighting a strong sense of technology. The screen grouping of the new curved display is a sign that BMW has entered the future era of electric digitalization.
The pure electric BMW i4 concept car provides customers with three different experience modes, allowing users to explore the world of electric drive systems and providing a vision for the next generation of operating systems. There will be exciting visual differences between the three experience modes (“Individual”, “Sport” and “Efficiency”), from the displays and pictures to the way the interior is presented, and users can also choose according to their own preferences. Preferences adjust the ambient mood lighting on the dashboard, doors and under the display.
The new fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive technology sets the industry benchmark
The BMW i4 will be equipped with the new fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive technology, which is also the main feature of BMW’s future electric vehicles. The BMW iX3, which will be put into production in 2020, will be the first to introduce this new technology, and then this technology will be applied to the BMW i4 and BMW iNEXT. The new development of the electric motor, power supply unit, charging unit and high-voltage power battery used in the fifth-generation eDrive electric drive technology represents an important step forward for the BMW Group in the field of electric drive systems. The electric motor specially developed for the BMW i4 is able to generate a maximum output of up to 390 kW/530 hp, which is on par with the power output of the current BMW V8 internal combustion engine. The BMW i4 concept car accelerates from zero to 100 kilometers in about 4 seconds, and its top speed exceeds 200 kilometers per hour.
The power battery specially developed for the BMW i4 has an ultra-thin structure and optimized energy density. It weighs about 550 kg, has an energy of about 80 kWh, and can achieve a cruising range of 600 kilometers (under WLTP conditions). The fifth-generation eDrive electric drive technology sets benchmarks in terms of energy density, efficiency and range.
The production version of the BMW i4 will start production in 2021 at the BMW Group’s plant in Munich. This means that future combustion engine, plug-in hybrid and pure electric models will be produced on the same assembly line in Munich.
