BMW i7 is the brand’s new fully-electric, range-topping version of the new 7 Series luxury sedan. The i7 xDrive60, as it is known, currently matches the most powerful ICE version of the new 7, putting out 536 horsepower, but an even more powerful i7 M70 model will be added later to cap the range with 660 horsepower; that’s coming next year.
But there’s more about the i7 than its technical specifications, though, and BMW has released a video that features its CEO, Oliver Zipse, as well as the company’s boss of design, Adrian van Hooydonk. They each explain different parts of the vehicle, why BMW chose to do them that way and what went into the process of creating them.
Zipse shows off the vehicle’s exterior, its automatic opening driver’s door, the light greeting you get when you approach the vehicle and then he takes it for a drive, going through the different powertrains (ICE and EV) and what makes the i7 different from the 7 Series.
He also says that the i7 will offer Level 3 autonomous driving capability ‘soon’ but does not explicitly state what that means. Moving into the back seat, he of course mentions the massive optional panoramic screen for rear occupants, and then passes the narration on to van Hooydonk who, of course, goes into detail about the i7’s design, so if you want to know why it looks the way it does, his explanations are the most interesting part of the video.
Van Hooydonk calls the i7 ‘a perfect expression of modern luxury. Human-centric, electric and tech magic.’ He also says BMW has not forgotten its philosophy of making vehicles enjoyable to drive and that the new electric 7 is rewarding for the driver, although we will judge that for ourselves when we get some time behind the wheel of this vehicle.
Make sure to check out our own static walkaround presentation of the i7, embedded below.
