BMW is adding a new EV to its lineup, the i4 eDrive35, which takes the honor of being the German automaker’s most affordable EV. The car, which starts at $51,400, is expected to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2022, while the first will arrive stateside in the first quarter of 2023.
The company says the BMW i4 eDrive35 has a range of 260 miles, which puts it up against the likes of VW’s ID.4 SUV, the Polestar 2 and the Hyundai Kona EV, all of which also fall into the same price bracket. BMW took a few detours with the i4 eDrive35, reducing the battery capacity to 66 kWh (down from the i4 eDrive40’s 81 kWh) and charging at a maximum of 180 kW, which is a slight drop from the 200 kW figure boasted by the i4 M50 model.
BMW offers less for the lower asking price, but those are the only two things that make sense about the i4 eDrive35 that might look like a lesser car. There are few other changes to this model compared to the more expensive eDrive40 model. BMW’s latest offering shares the same Gen5 eDrive powertrain as the other i4 series cars, even the high-end iX model.
Enter the world of BMW EVs without breaking the bank
The company says the BMW i4 eDrive35 has a range of 260 miles, which puts it up against the likes of VW’s ID.4 SUV, the Polestar 2 and the Hyundai Kona EV, all of which also fall into the same price bracket. BMW took a few detours with the i4 eDrive35, reducing the battery capacity to 66 kWh (down from the i4 eDrive40’s 81 kWh) and charging at a maximum of 180 kW, which is a slight drop from the 200 kW figure boasted by the i4 M50 model.
The i4 eDrive35 is BMW’s way of offering an entry point to its i4 EV lineup at a competitive price. BMW has ambitious EV sales plans, with a goal of having BEVs account for 50 percent of all its shipments by 2030. So far, the company says it has sold 57,000 EVs worldwide in the first half of 2022. With the i4 eDrive35, BMW is relying on its brand equity and luxury pedigree to sell EVs, and it may find buyers when it compares it to options from Hyundai and newbies like Polestar.
