BMW i4 electric sedan revealed, Australian reservations now open

UPDATE, April 21: A new 2022 BMW i4 M Sport variant has been revealed in China, debuting a more sporting look for the upcoming i4. We've included the only two available images below.

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UPDATE, April 16: The 2022 BMW i4 is now available to reserve in Australia, with the company's local arm confirming deliveries will begin early next year.

Interested buyers can place a $500 deposit to secure their place on the order list for the upcoming new electric sedan.

Local specifications are still to be announced, but it's expected the i4 will launch in entry-level i4 eDrive35 and mid-range i4 eDrive40 form, along with a sports-focused flagship i4 M50 model.

Buyers can visit BMW's reservation page to learn more and place their deposit.

UPDATE, March 19: BMW has announced the i4 will be launched globally three months ahead of schedule.

The all-electric four-door, which is being built in BMW's Munich manufacturing facility, was thought to still be a while away from hitting the tarmac in production-spec, but the EV has now been confirmed for an earlier release.

There's no word as to why the i4's launch has been brought forward, but WhichCar can confirm there will be more information about the exciting EV in the coming weeks.

The story to here

March 18: The anticipated BMW i4 electric car has been revealed today, and polarising grille aside, it promises to be Munich’s biggest push yet at taking it to the likes of Tesla and its popular Model 3.

Interestingly, BMW refers to the i4 as a Gran Coupe model, but it isn't actually called 'i4 Gran Coupe'.

The fully-electric four-door was unveiled at the Germanic automaker’s 2021 annual conference, ahead of European and American debuts confirmed to occur later this year.

Local timing for the i4 is still to be confirmed, and indeed the brand has yet to announce plans at all – but we'd be surprised if it doesn't turn up later this year or sometime in the first part of 2022.

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There will be a number of different models available from launch, and BMW has confirmed it is even working on an M Performance variant of the angular four-door. (Whether we'll see a proper hero M version is unclear.)

The i4 is the fourth model to bear BMW’s electrified “i” badge, with previous models including the groundbreaking i8 and city-friendly i3, and the very recently detailed iX SUV.

As previously reported by WhichCar, the i4 will come equipped with a 80kWh battery pack and utilise the outfit’s fifth-generation eDrive electric motor setup.

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And while BMW is yet to unveil full details about the entire i4 model range, we do know the flagship variant will punch out a heady 390kW and be capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in around four seconds.

The flagship model will also have a range rated at 590km (WLTP) and, thanks to the entire i4 line-up employing 150kW fast charging, owners can expect to charge the battery pack from empty to 80 per cent in around 35 minutes.

BMW claims this level of fast charging, translated another way, means 100 kilometres of range is added to the EV’s batteries every six minutes.

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We also don’t have any details about what the car’s interior will look like (expect details in the coming weeks), but it’s safe to assume that BMW’s latest iDrive 8 infotainment system, launched only days ago, will be part of the contemporary cabin.

Interior styling could reveal a look similar to that applied in the new BMW iX electric SUV, or a slightly futuristic version of the existing 4 Series dash. Both are shown below.

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Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer, Brands, Sales, said the i4 will handle like no other car in the segment, and embodies the brand’s push towards further electrification.

“With its sporty looks, best in class driving dynamics and zero local emissions, the BMW i4 is a true BMW. It makes the heart of the BMW brand now beat fully electric,” said Nota.

Will the BMW i4 come to Australia?

There’s no word yet about local pricing or how many different variants of the electrified model we can expect here, but we’ll keep you up to date with the latest information as it becomes available.

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