BMW has officially started production of the smallest electric SUV in its lineup, the iX1. It’s the smaller sibling of BMW iX3 and the iX electric SUVs currently sold in the Australian market.
The BMW iX1 production began in Regensburg, a city located in the southeast part of Germany. It’s the home to BMW’s compact SUV production and the same manufacturing plant that also builds the high voltage batteries.
“Today’s start of production for the fully-electric BMW iX1* in Regensburg illustrates the pace with which the BMW Group is ramping up electromobility,” the company said.
“As announced almost two years ago, all German plants can now produce electric cars. The smallest model among the BMW Sports Activity Vehicles will boost the volume of electric vehicles.”
In Australia, the smallest BMW EV that can currently be purchased is the iX3. With BMW iX1 starting production, there is already an expression of interest being opened for those looking at the newest EV model from the brand.
The new iX1 boasts up to 438 km of WLTP range and can charge from 10% – 80% in under 30 minutes.
The smaller segment of SUVs is important to BMW in Australia. The ICE version of the BMW iX1 has sold over 2,277 vehicles in 2022 so far. Having an EV alternative would mean that many of those buyers would consider getting behind the wheel of an EV instead.
BMW iX1 will compete with other smaller EVs from premium brands like Mercedes Benz and the smaller EQA range of EVs. Mercedes Benz has sold 558 of the EQA model in 2022. With the launch of the newer, slightly larger, EQB, this segment will only become more popular in the electrification space in Australia.
The BMW iX1 will launch here in Australia in the first quarter of 2023. It will arrive locally as the BMW iX1 xDrive30 and will be offered in two trims:
- xLine
- M Sport
Both will be priced at $82,900 excluding on-roads. The Australian iX1 also comes with a 3-year complimentary Chargefox DC fast-charging subscription.
Update: This article now includes pricing for the two BMW iX1 xDrive30 trims.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.