BMW has shown images of the upcoming i7 flagship all-electric sedan undergoing cold-weather testing at the BMW Group winter test centre in Arjeplog, Sweden.
BMW claims the i7 to be “the world’s first all-electric luxury sedan,” which is interesting in light of its own pure EV flagship being preceded by the likes of the Mercedes-Benz EQS and the Lucid Air; perhaps BMW means that the i7 cuts a more distinctly three-box silhouette than the others.
Classification aside, the upcoming i7 EV is based on the same vehicle concept as all further variants of the BWM 7 Series, the manufacturer said, and is being tested for driving dynamics as well as for the integrated application of its drive and suspension systems.
Powertrain specifications aren’t provided by BMW at this juncture, though the company’s stated use of its fifth-generation eDrive technology currently employed in the iX means that the flagship will feature the SUV’s 320 PS and 500 PS all-wheel-drive powertrains.
The i7 range has been previously rumoured to also include an M Performance model and tipped to be badged “i7 M60” or “Mi7”, and thus likely to be a pure EV successor to the current V12-powered M760Li flagship.
This means the potential top-spec i7 could get two electric motors for a total output of 650 PS, topping the future 7 Series range that will span internal combustion, plug-in hybrid and fully electric versions.
BMW has yet to reveal the interior of the i7, though the 7 Series it is based on has had its interior spotted by spy photographers. Given that the i7 is based on the forthcoming 7 Series, its interior architecture may well be drawn from that range, too, which has been seen to adopt the layout from the iX.
Spy images of the fully electric flagship sedan has also found a development mule to be fitted with a range of exterior cameras or sensors on several parts of its bodywork, suggesting that the i7 and 7 Series are being prepared for an increased level of autonomous driving capability. These cameras on the front quarter panels and in the roof-mounted shark-fin housing also appear to be present on the car in these images.
In August, BMW Group board chairman Oliver Zipse stated that fully electric versions of the next 7 Series – along with those of the X1 and 5 Series – in the next two years, which lists the i7 for debut by 2023 at the latest.
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Actually BMW i7 was spied testing against the Xpeng P7, Tesla Model Y, Benz EQS