BMW i7 EV, with 600 hp, will be most powerful variant of new 7 Series flagship

The full-electric variant of BMW’s new 7 Series sedan will deliver more than 600 hp, CEO Oliver Zipse said, offering more power than plug-in hybrid, gasoline and diesel versions.

In keeping with the brand’s recent naming strategy, the electric version will be called the i7.

The next-generation of BMW’s flagship 7 Series will be revealed at the Beijing auto show on April 20, Zipse said Wednesday at the BMW Group’s annual news conference.

Internal-combustion versions will have new engines developed to comply with Euro 7 pollution regulations, expected to be announced this July, Zipse said.

He described the new 7 Series as “the next ace in our successful growth strategy in the luxury class.”

The new model is already in the pre-production phase and will go on sale by the end of the year.

BMW released camouflaged photos of the 7 Series in January.

On Wednesday, the automaker offered a look at the front end, with narrow horizontal “crystal” headlights and a large, squared-off “double kidney” grille similar to that of the iX full-electric large SUV.

Chief Technical Officer Frank Weber showed off several interior features, including a 31-inch high-definition screen for rear passengers that is hinged at the roof and folds down behind the front headrests. A glimpse of the dashboard area revealed a minimalist design also seen in the iX.

The 7 Series will offer so-called “Level 2 plus” driver assistance features at its launch.

Following the lead of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW says that hands-off Level 3 driving will be enabled.

All drivetrains of the new 7 Series will be based on a single architecture, the latest evolution of the rear-wheel-drive/all-wheel-drive CLAR platform, and have basically the same body style.

Longtime rival Mercedes has chosen a different strategy to electrify its flagship sedans. The traditional S Class offers internal-combustion power, including a plug-in hybrid, while the full-electric EQS uses a different platform and has its own body style. 

Luxury sedan buyers are increasingly turning to full-electric models.

Last year, the Porsche Taycan was the best-seller in the segment in Europe, with 17,106 sales, more than three times higher than its internal-combustion counterpart from Porsche, the Panamera, figures from Dataforce show (see chart, below). 

The S Class ranked second with 11,219 sales, and the outgoing 7 Series was third with 5,531 sales.

The EQS, launched in late 2021, ranked seventh with 1,333 sales, tied with the Mercedes AMG GT four-door. The aging Tesla Model S, which took the top spot in 2017 and 2018, fell to 10th spot with just 160 sales. As recently as 2020 the Model S was in third place.

The i7 will be one of 15 full-electric models that BMW says will be in production by the end of 2022, including pre-series models.

BMW says that by 2030 half of all global sales will be full-electric, although Zipse said Wednesday that the group was making every effort to reach that goal earlier. He said the group’s EV sales could reach 1.5 million annually by that year, depending on how infrastructure and the supply of raw materials for batteries develop.