BMW iX EV SUV to be launched in Malaysia today?

BMW Malaysia has teased the iX on its social media pages again, but this time, there’s some indication that the all-electric SUV will be launched today. In its latest posts, which were put up 12 hours ago (around 8.30 pm on Wednesday, August 25), the company tell us that we will “enter a new era of electromobility tomorrow” and to “watch this space.”

As before, there are no details on specification just yet, but referring to the model page on BMW Malaysia’s website, we find two variants listed: the xDrive40 and xDrive50. The latter was launched in Thailand back in June, albeit in limited amount, and is the most powerful version of the iX currently available.

It comes with two electric motors (one on each axle) for a total of 523 PS (516 hp or 385 kW) and 765 Nm of torque, allowing for a 0-100 km/h time of 4.6 seconds. The lesser xDrive40 also gets a dual-motor configuration, but with just 326 PS (322 hp or 240 kW) and 630 Nm for a century sprint time of 6.1 seconds.

On the xDrive50, the e-motors are powered by a 105.2-kWh lithium-ion battery that is rated to provide up to 630 km of range. It’s just a 71-kWh battery for the xDrive40, which is good for up to 425 km. Flat out, both will hit a top speed of 200 km/h.

As for charging, the two iX variants come standard with an 11-kW onboard AC charger, and with a charger capable of providing that amount of power through a Type 2 connection, it takes eight hours to fully charge the xDrive40’s battery, while its 11 hours for the xDrive50.

There’s also DC fast charging using a CCS2 connector, which the xDrive50 supports up to 200 kW, so getting from a 10-80% state of charge (SoC) takes about 35 minutes. The xDrive40 has a lower DC charging rate of 150 kW, and with its lesser battery capacity, recovering the same 10-80% SoC is done in 31 minutes.

The iX will fill in the void in the i sub-brand left behind by the departed i3s, and it also appears the i4 will join it in the future. We’ll have to wait until the official launch to find out exactly what version of the iX we’ll be getting, so stay tuned for further details like pricing and available equipment.

GALLERY: BMW iX xDrive40
GALLERY: BMW iX xDrive50 with Sport package