BMW Shares the First Details of the Electric i7 Sedan Ahead of its Official Debut Next Month

author: FutureCar Staff    

Luxury automaker BMW has shared the first details of its upcoming electric i7 sedan, which is an electric version of BMW's flagship 7-Series sedan.

The details of the battery-powered sedan were presented at BMW Group's Annual Conference in Munich by Frank Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG for Development. Weber mainly focused on the technology of the new i7, but shared a few teaser photos for now.

The new all-electric i7 will be officially revealed next month and the EV represents the future of the BMW brand, which will include a full lineup of battery-powered models.

"The new BMW 7 Series is absolutely trail-blazing in every respect. Like no other model, the BMW 7 Series stands for BMW's innovative strength," says Weber. "The all-electric BMW i7 is also the most powerful BMW 7 Series. It combines the best driving experience with the ultimate digital experience. This makes it the ideal vehicle for forward-thinking, responsible decision-makers and avant-garde pioneers."

One striking feature is the i7's bold front grille, which is similar to that of the i4 electric sedan and will be a hallmark design feature of BMW's future EVs. The grille has been completely redesigned and features a distinctive look. Other design touches include upper light made of crystal glass and illumination around the signature kidney grille that BMW is known for.

The luxury-electric i7 will offer a WLTP Electric range between 580 - 610 km and up to an estimated 305 miles EPA estimated range.

BMW says the i7 features an interior that offers an innovative user experience created with BMW's new "My Modes" and the latest generation of the automaker's iDrive operating system. 

The front headlights of the BMW i7 sedan.

The My Modes feature allows drivers to customize the car's driving characteristics and interior ambience, such as lighting. A new light and function strip on the instrument panel and the doors provides a modern visual quality. 

The BMW Interaction Bar is part of the ambient lighting, which includes LED lighting strips that can be individually adjusted. The i7 will also include BMW's curved dashboard display.

Another cool feature for the i7 is the "BMW Theater Screen", which moves out from the roof liner and turns the interior into a mobile movie theater. The setup features an ultra-wide screen with a 31 inch screen in 32:9 panoramic display with support for 8K streaming content. 

When a passenger selects "My Mode Theater", the screen moves out of the headliner above. It's accompanied by a soundscape created by Academy Award winning Hans Zimmer.  At the same time, the roller sunblinds for the side windows and the rear window are closed and the ambient lighting in the rear of the vehicle is dimmed to create a movie theater like experience. 

BMW teamed up with Amazon to fully integrate its Fire TV experience within the display system. It will give rear seat passengers access to a wide variety of multimedia content. With Amazon's Fire TV built-in, passengers will be able to stream videos, listen to music, and watch downloaded programs during their journey.

BMW developed what it calls a "Sky Lounge" panoramic glass roof for the i7, which adds to the feeling of interior spaciousness. Offering a panoramic glass roof is a popular new design trend for high-end electric vehicles.

When it hits the market, BMW's electric flagship i7 will be a strong competitor to Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Lucid Air and Audi e-tron GT.

The BMW i7 sedan will be officially revealed on April 19 and is set to go on sale later this year.

FutureCar Staff