BMW promises 'sheer driving pleasure' from its Tesla-rivalling i4 sedan

It's a bold claim, but BMW is promising that its forthcoming i4 Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) will be very much the pure-electric equivalent of a 3/4 Series in terms of driving dynamics.

The i4 is now in its final phase of testing, so it's time for the obligatory official "scoop" images of a disguised car.

"For the first time, we’ve developed a BMW with sporty DNA for purely electric driving entirely from scratch,” says project manager David Alfredo Ferrufino Camacho. “The BMW i4 offers everything BMW stands for – and it’s fully electric, too.”  

"The focus is on the integrated application of all drive and suspension components, ensuring that the spontaneous power delivery of the electric motor is combined with precisely controllable handling in every situation," says BMW.

With maximum power of 390kW, the i4 will be able to hit 100km/h in four seconds.

Bespoke dampers have been developed for the car, which also features actuator-related wheel slip limitation (ARB) developed by BMW for optimum traction and straight-line stability at all times.

"This makes the catapult-like sprint in the new BMW i4 an experience that is both exciting and carefree, because it is not affected by drive slip or course corrections."

BMW says great handling is also ensured by sticking to the 3 Series playbook: long wheelbase, wide tracks, model-specific camber values, large wheels, high torsional rigidity, low centre of gravity and good weight distribution.

"All electric vehicles are capable of fast straight-line acceleration. But that’s not enough for us,” says Camacho.

Final calibration is still taking place, but BMW claims the battery tech in the i4 is good for a range of 600km.