Buying an all-wheel-drive i4 means having to step up to the M Performance version but it looks like BMW will launch a cheaper xDrive version to slot below the M50. A well-known insider from the Bimmer Post forums with a good track record of getting things right has learned an i4 xDrive40 will be added to the lineup later this year. It was originally supposed to have global availability, but apparently, the automaker has had a change of heart and will only sell the car in North America.
The BMW i4 xDrive40 is believed to enter production in July, so the first deliveries to customers should take place before the end of summer. Technical specifications are shrouded in mystery, but we can make a few logical assumptions. It’ll have more than the 335 horsepower offered by the single-motor eDrive40 but less than the 536 hp provided by the pair of motors inside the M50.
Using the same logic, expect the fourth member of the i4 family to have well over 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) but without getting too close to 586 lb-ft (795 Nm). An xDrive40 would do a great job of bridging the wide gap between the eDrive40 and M50. We’re expecting the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in the four-second range considering the eDrive40 takes 5.7 seconds while the M50 needs 3.9 seconds.
Chances are it’ll utilize the larger 81.5-kWh battery (83.9 kWh gross) installed in the eDrive40 and M50 rather than the smaller 66 kWh (70.2 kWh gross) of the base eDrive35 introduced last year. As for range, EPA rates the eDrive40 at 301 miles and the i4 M50 (with 19-inch wheels) at 271 miles, so the xDrive40 should be somewhere in this interval.
As far as pricing is concerned, the new member of the i4 lineup will command a premium over the $57,100 eDrive40 while undercutting the $68,700 M50, which was BMW M’s best-selling car in 2022. Consequently, look for somewhere in the region of $61,000 – $63,000.
BMW wants fully electric vehicles to account for 15% of annual sales in 2023, and a new i4 derivative would help the Munich-based automaker reach its bold target. An i5 based on the next-generation 5 Series is coming later this year and should further fuel demand for Bavaria’s EVs.
Source: Bimmer Post