BMW iX – registration of interest appears on BMW Malaysia’s FB page, is the electric SUV coming soon?

BMW Malaysia has opened registration of interest for the BMW iX on its Facebook page. Clicking on the RoI link takes one to the brand’s official website, specifically, a page that has a promo video of the electric SUV, details and a form for you to fill in your particulars. This iX page first appeared in December 2020.

So, coming soon? The BMW iX might have been revealed in November 2020, but Munich hasn’t released full details on the SUV, and production is only expected to start at the end of this year, so the answer is not so soon.

However, the iX’s appearance on BMW Malaysia’s digital properties means that when the iX is finally available, it should be introduced here down the line. BMW Malaysia has form when it comes to the i sub-brand – the i3s electric hatchback was introduced in 2019, and they officially sold the now-departed i8 as well. The brand is also one of the top proponents of electrification here, with many core models available in ‘e’ plug-in hybrid form.

On to the iX. The production version of the Vision iNEXT concept was unveiled in November 2020. The iX is comparable to today’s X5 in length and width and is about as tall as the X6. Compared to today’s ICE-powered X SUVs, the iX’s A-pillars have been pushed forward – a shorter hood and a longer cabin is the result. The wheelbase is 3,000 mm long.

For a tech flagship, the “monolithic form” iX looks rather conventional. That is if someone blocked off the face, which is dominated by the tall, vertical double kidney grille, a look also carried by the M3/M4 and 4 Series. The wheels are between 20 and 22 inches in diameter, and there’s a gloss black D-pillar strip that links the Hoffmeister kink to the rear glass – that gives the iX the a “floating roof” effect. The wraparound tailgate is rather Audi Q in shape.

Munich is yet to release full technical details, but what we do know is that the iX will have over 500 PS from its front and rear motors (AWD) to allow it to do 0-100 km/h in under five seconds. The largest battery option will have a capacity of over 100 kWh for over 600 km of range. BMW touts charging capacity of up to 200 kW (120 km of range in 10 minutes or 10-80% in under 40 minutes at best effort) and a full charge in under 11 hours using the 11 kW BMW Wallbox.