BMW has started assembling electric cars in India to offer them at more attractive prices there. The German automaker has launched the iX1 LWB as its first locally assembled model.
India is the first right-hand drive market globally where BMW has launched the iX1 LWB. The company likely imports its knocked-down kits from the BMW Brilliance joint venture plant in Tiexi in Shenyang (Liaoning Province), China, and conducts the final assembly at its wholly owned factory in Chennai in eastern India. India imposes a customs duty of 15 per cent on locally assembled cars – compared to a staggering 110 per cent on completely built unit (CBU) imports.
At 4,616 mm, the iX1 LWB is 116 mm longer than the regular iX1, and it utilises 108 mm of that extra length for an extended wheelbase measuring 2,800 mm. Like in China, customers in India place great importance on rear-seat space and comfort, and that’s where the iX1 LWB delivers a substantial improvement, offering passengers significantly better legroom.
BMW sells the iX1 LWB in India in a new ‘eDrive20L’ variant instead of the eDrive25L and eDrive30L variants it offers in China. However, like the eDrive25L variant, the eDrive20L has an electric motor on the front axle, producing 150 kW and 250 Nm of torque and allowing the EV to accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in 8.6 seconds.
A 64.8 kWh (net) battery pack powers the electric motor and supports charging at up to 11 kW AC and up to 130 kW DC. Customers can charge it from 0 to 100% SoC at an AC charger in six hours and 45 minutes and from 10-80% SoC at a DC charger in 32 minutes. The iX1 LWB consumes 15.5 kWh per 100 km and travels 531 km on a full charge in the eDrive20L variant, both as per the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC).
BMW offers the iX1 LWB in India for an introductory ex-showroom price of 4.9 million Indian rupees (approximately 54,700 euros). Along with the iX1 LWB launch, the company discontinued the global iX1 (SWB), which it imported as a CBU, presumably from the Regensburg plant in Germany. It used to offer the regular iX1 in the xDrive30 twin-motor AWD variant for an ex-showroom price of 6.69 million Indian rupees (approximately 74,700 euros). Thanks to local assembly and, to some extent, even the cheaper single-motor FWD setup, the iX1 LWB is nearly 20,000 euros cheaper than the iX1.
“Today, BMW has pioneered a disruption in the Indian premium automotive segment by launching the first-ever X1 Long Wheelbase All Electric,” said Vikram Pawah, President and CEO, BMW Group India. “Exuding space, comfort and versatility, it is the perfect premium SUV for rising aspirations of new Bharat. As the first ‘Made in India’ EV from BMW, the X1 Long Wheelbase beckons a new era of innovation and excellence.”
bmwgroup.com, configure.bmw.in (configurator)