BMW iX M60 starts at €130,200

BMW has unveiled its first M model designed from the outset for electric mobility. The iX M60 is the third, even more powerful model variant and has now been presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The global market launch is planned for June 2022.

“The BMW iX M60 combines a vehicle concept consistently geared towards sustainability with the design of a modern Sports Activity Vehicle and fascinatingly dynamic driving characteristics,” BMW writes. The base price for Germany is 130,200 euros. The i4, which was introduced parallel to the iX, is already available as the i4 M50, but the i4 is based on the CLAR mixed platform – and not, like the iX, on a pure eMobility platform.

The vehicle reportedly has an output of 455 kW (619 hp) and is equipped with one fifth-generation electric motor each on the front and rear axles. BMW specifies torque of 1,015 Nm in Sport Mode, and 1,100 Nm when Launch Control is activated. The vehicle reaches 100 km/h from standstill in 3.8 seconds. The combined power consumption is between 24.7 and 21.7 kWh per 100 kilometres. The range is up to 566 kilometres.

The fifth generation of BMW electric drives are current-excited synchronous motors. In addition to efficiency, BMW emphasises that these motors have a consistent power delivery – up to the electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

The high-voltage battery achieves a gross energy content of 111.5 kWh, the same as in the familiar iX xDrive50. The AC charging capacity is 11 kW, with direct current up to 200 kW is possible – AC and DC chargers are installed in the iX in a “Combined Charging Unit”. Electricity for up to 150 kilometres can be recharged in ten minutes at a fast charger.

According to BMW, the vehicle concept of the iX offers an ideal basis for a purely electrically driven SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) with “high-performance characteristics”. The body structure, design principle and the tuning of the chassis are geared towards “combining superior ride comfort with sporty handling characteristics”. BMW uses a carbon cage with carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) in the roof, side and rear sections of the model. CFRP was already used in the BMW M3 CSL in 2003 and is used in numerous current high-performance sports cars from BMW M GmbH.

The iX M60 draws on the same construction kits in the areas of automated driving, operation, networking and digital services as the well-known iX offshoots – we have summarised first impressions of these in our driving report on the iX xDrive50. The model has “the most extensive standard equipment ever used by BMW in the field of driver assistance systems”. A new generation of sensors, a new software stack and a powerful computing platform also offer potential for the further development of automated driving and parking functions.

The iX M60 is produced at the BMW plant in Dingolfing, Bavaria, where other model variants of the all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) are also built.

With reporting by Domenico Sciurti, Germany.