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Today is the day of virtual press conferences to replace the Media Day of the 2020 Geneva Motor Showoriginally scheduled for today.
A return to normality thereforean attempt to restart after the bad stop caused by the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show due to the Coronavirus epidemic.
The first to go is BMW, streaming the BMW Concept i4 from its Munich headquarters, the first step towards the Tesla Model 3 rival electric sedan.
The new range of electrified BMWs: over one million in 2021
BMW’s push towards electric mobility is getting bigger and bigger.
In fact, 500,000 BMW electrified vehicles have been sold to date, and the Bavarian company plans to grow this number to 1,000,000 BMW electrified cars in 2021.
In fact, there are many electrified models that have followed one another in recent years (such as BMW i3 and BMW i8), but there will be even more models arriving on the market in the coming years.
The MINI Electric, the Cooper SE, is already topical and is enjoying great success: more than 120,000 reservations and already 7,000 orders received.
The BMW 330e, X1 and X2 xDrive 25e, the latest generation Propeller Plug-In Hybrid, and BMW iX3 cannot be missing.
The BMW iX3 is BMW’s first electric that is based on an existing “piston” model, the BMW X3.
It is also the first to debut the fifth generation of the BMW eDrive powertrain.
BMW Concept i4: Munich’s first electric midsize sedan
Today’s star, however, is the BMW Concept i4, the highly anticipated sedan that will rival the queen of electric midsize sedans, the Tesla Model 3.
BMW Concept i4 is instantly recognizable as a BMW.
The front is dominated by the huge double kidney grille which, today, becomes vertical and very generous in size.
On the side, it is very low and sleek, just like the latest BMW Gran Coupe have accustomed us to, making it almost unbelievable to think that there is a battery pack under the floor.
Furthermore, there are also retractable handles here, a real trend of recent months.
At the rear, however, we find very thin headlights reminiscent of the latest BMWs such as the 2 Series Gran Coupe and X6 and a huge diffuser.
This has both aerodynamic and obviously aesthetic functions, and according to Adrian Van Hooydonk (Director of the BMW Style Center) this could be the hallmark of the next BMWs.
Inside the sportiness continues: everything is focused on driving, giving very few distractions to the driver, and there is also room for a great novelty.
The iDrive infotainment system is in fact evolved: the classic “cantilevered” display on the dashboard leaves room for a horizontal curved screen that includes the infotainment system and the digital instrument panel.
BMW Concept i4 combines 530 hp and 600 km of range!
Although electric, the BMW Concept i4 remains a true Bavarian, which focuses on pure driving pleasure.
The parallelism during the presentation with a splendid BMW 3 Series E30 Coupé, painted in the same gold as the BMW Concept i4, underlines how BMW’s past is not denied.
Its 5th generation eDrive electric powertrain delivers 530 hp, and is capable of acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in about 4 seconds..
The autonomy is not forgotten, which reaches 600 km in the WLTP cycle.
BMW’s concern for the environment is not just focused on producing fully electric cars.
BMW Concept i4, like the production i4, does not use rare earths in any component of its powertrain.
“Electric sounds” produced by Hans Zimmer
BMW has also concentrated its energies on a little considered sector, namely sound.
Electric cars are inherently very quiet, so BMW has come up with a way to “solve” this problem.
To do this, she created a set of sounds, trills and “gongs” with a futuristic and creative taste, but she didn’t do it all by herself.
In fact, he asked for help from Hans Zimmer, the world famous composerwinner of several Grammys, the Oscar for the best soundtrack for The Lion King and creator of the music of famous films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator and Rush.
The result? We will be able to tell you as soon as we can try the series version, but given the immense talent of Hans Zimmer we can be safe by saying that they will be of great effect.
When will we see the production version of the BMW Concept i4?
We’ve probably seen it before: Van Hooydonk has in fact underlined how the concept of BMW i4 is almost identical to the production version.
To see and drive it, however, we have to wait until next year, when the Tesla Model 3 offensive will be officially launched.
