On Apr. 20, BMW announced its latest Electric 7 series luxury sedan named i7 xDrive60. The upcoming electric vehicle will have a range of up to 300 miles, and the starting price is $120,295.
Those interested in purchasing the new BMW vehicle can pre-order it starting Apr. 20, and the deliveries are expected to begin in late 2022.
BMW's New Electric 7 Series Luxury Sedan
BMW's latest sedan is filled with high-tech features, like a massive 8K theater screen for rear passengers, according to The Verge.
The automaker is hoping that the i7 will become a segment leader in the increasingly crowded luxury electric sedan space.
Certainly, the automaker's 7 series has long held the place as the automaker's ultimate expression of luxury, together with the 8 series.
BMW recently nipped the crown for a best-selling luxury brand in the United States from Mercedes Benz, but Tesla is not far behind.
The i7 can't beat Tesla when it comes to battery performance and range, but it can certainly compete in performance.
Featuring two electric motors with an output of 536 horsepower and 549 pound-feet of torque, the i7 xDrive60 will increase from 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds, according to Engadget.
The vehicle's battery provides 101.7kWh of usable energy, but the combined power consumption will be around 19.7-18.9kWh per 100km, which is lower than what was advertised.
By way of comparison, the most powerful Tesla, the long-range Model S, has a 100kWh battery, while Mercedes-Benz's flagship EQS sedan, with 350 miles of range, has one with 107.8kWh of capacity.
BMW stated that it wouldn't use rare earth materials to power the new sedan's two motors. Instead, the two motors will operate on the principle of a current-energized synchronous machine, which allows the metered supply of electrical energy to trigger the excitation of the motor.
Most electric motors are powered by magnets made of rare earth metals. The magnets enable the motors to transform electricity into motion and effectively power the vehicle.
These rare earth magnets, mostly made of NdFeB are almost mined and processed in China.
By using the current-energized synchronous machine principles, the automaker said that it could achieve a higher energy density, especially in the rear motor, which allows BMW to achieve levels of performance it expects out of its new 7 series sedan.
BMW 7 Series Design
The design of the new EV sedan showcases the traditional BMW design. It has a kidney-shaped grille in the front that has been reinterpreted to achieve a modern look, according to Motor Authority.
The grille is outlined with exclusive crystal glass LED, which helps accent it and helps draw more attention to it. It should be mentioned that the automaker has been subjected to a lot of harsh criticism lately on social media for its take on the kidney grille.
When asked about the issue in 2021, the product manager of BMW, Don Smith, said that while it makes no sense to have an open grille, the customers want the vehicle to look like a BMW.
There is more crystal inside the BMW i7, including on the dashboard and center console in the form of a gear shifter knob. The real draw to the design is the theater screen.
The theater screen is a massive 31-inch display that turns the sedan into a beautiful cinema-on-wheels.
The said feature came as a surprise as BMW removed the touch-screen option in its vehicles in 2021 because of a chip shortage.
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Written by Sophie Webster
