All-electric BMW iX4 to rival the Tesla Model Y in 2026 (2024)

Update: ‘Range & performance’ sub-section added to ‘On the BMW iX4.’

Uncharacteristically, BMW’s X4 got a complete redesign in June 2018, just four years after its introduction. It is now rumored that its presence in the lineup won’t continue past 2025. A pure-electric BMW iX4 is in development to take its place and challenge the Tesla Model Y, anticipated to become the world’s best-selling electric car across segments and body styles by 2024. Here’s what we know about the BMW X4 Electric.

On the next-gen BMW X4

In September 2022, BimmerPost forum member and reliable BMW source ynguldyn said in a post that BMW may have canceled the third-gen X4 (G46). Production of the current second-gen X4 will end in November 2025, as per ynguldyn’s information. Just days after ynguldyn’s revelation, BMW Blog reported the same based on information from its sources. The estimated sales volume was too low to give BMW an acceptable ROI, the publication that specializes in the BMW Group, said.

On the BMW iX4

According to ynguldyn’s intel, a BMW iX4 is in the pipeline, planned for production at the company’s upcoming Hungarian plant in Debrecen from November 2026 until June 2034. Internally, the iX4 goes by the codename ‘BMW NA7,’ with ‘NA’ likely standing for ‘Neue Klasse.’ Regardless, given the SOP timeline, we can say with absolute certainty that it will be a Neue Klasse EV.

Neue Klasse

Originally, Neue Klasse was a series of transformative sedans launched starting with the BMW 1500 in 1961. These models received enormous success until the BMW 5 Series arrived as their successor in 1972. From 2025, BMW is hoping to repeat that success with a series of highly advanced and sustainable electric vehicles with the new Neue Klasse. The i3 was BMW’s first-gen EV, and iX3 onwards, we’re looking at the company’s second-gen EVs.

The Neue Klasse era will herald the German automaker’s third-gen EVs, the first of which will be three models belonging to the mid-size segment that’s unanimously popular in BMW’s main global markets. The first will be the next-gen BMW iX3 (BMW NA5), entering production in July 2025, followed by the next-gen, global BMW i3 sedan and the first-ever iX4, both hitting the assembly line in November 2026.

Design & Interior

BMW should be working on clay models of the iX4, but we’re afraid its design remains safeguarded at its studios in LA, Munich, and Shanghai. We’re fairly confident that it will share many cues with the next-gen 3 Series EV, such as the new interpretation of the signature double headlights, for instance. These headlights could be combined with the kidney grille, which could be a futuristic-looking digital surface instead of vertical plastic bars enclosed in a frame or a closed plastic surface.

The interior of the iX4 could be centered around reductionism, digitalization, and space efficiency. We expect no chrome or leather anywhere in the cabin, seeing BMW inclining more towards low-key opulence in recent models.

The dashboard could be a super-sleek surface mounting a large parallelogram-shaped touchscreen in the center and featuring BMW Panoramic Vision, an end-to-end HUD projecting information on the bottom of the windscreen. A new BMW 3D head-up display would complement the BMW Panoramic Vision, assisting the driver during active driving situations by projecting the essentials in their line of sight.

All the aforementioned in-cabin electronics would run on BMW Operating System 10. We think the UI of the iX4’s infotainment system would be swift and require very few inputs to reach desired functions. Cloud-based sat-nav, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, multiplayer casual games, etc. are among our expected features of this infotainment system.

Module-less, round battery cells

Neue Klasse EVs, including the BMW iX4, will have cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells similar to the Tesla Model Y’s 4680 battery cells. Part of the sixth-gen BMW eDrive technology, the new round cells will have two different sizes. The length will vary, but the diameter will be the same – 46 mm.

In addition to a format and size, the type of installation of the sixth-gen BMW battery cells will be new. BMW is planning to use module-less batteries in Neue Klasse EVs. In addition to confirming that it is eliminating the cell module level, the company has suggested it may use a Tesla Model Y-like structural battery pack, saying that “the battery system plays a key role in the body structure of the Neue Klasse.”

Compared to the prismatic lithium-ion battery cells of the fifth-gen BMW eDrive technology used in current BMW EVs, the new BMW round cells will have higher nickel content and lower cobalt on the cathode side and increased silicon content on the anode side. The result – more than 20% higher volumetric energy density.

BMW is developing the next-gen battery cells to beat Tesla. Dr Milan Nedeljković, the company’s production boss, told AutoNews that the American competitor “needs to close the gap with us.”

Rapid charging

With double the normal voltage of a typical battery pack used in current BMW EVs – 800 volts – the Neue Klasse EVs will allow rapid charging. They will be able to achieve a much higher charging capacity with a current of up to 500 amperes. While current BMW EVs allow charging at just 195 kW, the BMW X4 EV’s maximum charging rate on direct current could be over 300 kW. A 10-80% recharge could be as quick as under 20 minutes.

Range & performance

The BMW iX4 should come in multiple power-electric configurations worldwide, including rear-wheel drive variants with standard-range and long-range battery pack options and all-wheel drive variants with a standard-fit long-range battery pack. At least one of the RWD long-range configurations should deliver an EPA-estimated range of over 300 miles. In one of the AWD long-range configurations, possibly called M50, a 0-60 mph sprint should take less than four seconds. Both these configurations should be offered in the U.S.

U.S. production

BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, located in Greer (South Carolina), USA, will start making at least six pure electric models by 2030. One of these EVs will likely be the BMW iX4.

BMW Group plans to invest USD 1.7 billion in its U.S. operations, and USD 1 billion of that amount will directly go into preparing the Spartanburg plant for the production of EVs. The company will allocate the remaining amount (USD 700 million) to build a 1 million-square-foot battery assembly facility in Woodruff (South Carolina), just 16 miles away from the Spartanburg vehicle assembly facility.

TopElectricSUV says

The BMW iX4 could be the closest alternative to the Tesla Model Y from the German automaker. For X4 owners planning a replacement around the mid-decade, the X4 Electric, with its significantly more space-efficient interior, lower running & maintenance costs, and noticeably higher performance levels, would make an attractive choice.

BMW iX4 FAQs

Featured Image Source: TopElectricSUV’s rendering of the all-electric X4 based on the current design language.