15,584 – that’s how many fully electric vehicles were sold by BMW in the United States in 2022. The automaker projects volume will triple this year now that the i4 eDrive35 has gone on sale. With no iX1 sold locally, the newly added base version of the i4 pictured here is the most affordable EV available in the US, carrying a starting price of $52,000.
In an interview with Automotive News after a meeting with the dealers this weekend, the Executive Vice President of Operations for BMW of North America noted 2023 will be the first full year for the i4, iX, and the i7. Shaun Bugbee went on to reconfirm the first-ever i5 will go on sale as an electric version of the next-generation 5 Series Sedan.
BMW National Dealer Forum Chairman David Sloane said the automaker is targeting nearly 20% of total sales in the US to do away with the combustion engine in 2023. Interestingly, M Performance vehicles are expected to account for almost 20% of the volume this year. As a side note, the i4 M50 was the best-selling car from BMW M in the world last year. Sloane added the “i4 is priced well” while the flagship i7 “has been received well” by customers that have visited one of the 350 dealerships in the country.
Although it hasn’t been officially announced yet, an i4 xDrive40 is reportedly coming to North America in 2023. It’s apparently scheduled to enter production around the middle of the year and will bridge the gap between the $57,100 eDrive40 and the $68,700 M50. It’ll have all-wheel drive with dual motors providing a total output above the 335 hp and 317 lb-ft of the eDrive40 but below the 536 hp and 586 lb-ft of the M50.
It’s a known fact BMW is working on an i5 Touring but it remains to be seen whether North America will get the electric wagon. In the meantime, an iX2 will be officially unveiled before the end of 2023, but once again, the jury is still out on whether there are plans to bring it stateside.
