Early prototypes of the all-electric BMW i7 saloon revealed themselves to the camera-wielding crowd last fall, but they were test mules draped in the latest 7 Series bodywork. Today, the i7 finally came out in its own production body.
The first thing that catches the eye is the abundance of video cameras on the car – over the fake grille, inside the shark-fin detail on the roof and in both front fenders. This seems to indicate that the i7 is getting a sophisticated self-driving system. Last month, BMW announced that it was working alone on a proprietary self-driving solution, despite earlier cooperation arrangements with Mercedes-Benz.
The electric sedan will come out in multiple versions: the i740 will be rear-wheel driven, while the i750 will get AWD and between 350 and 450 hp (260 – 340 kW). The top-of-the-line model will probably be called something like Mi7 or i7 M60, and it will hit the four wheels with roughly 650 hp (485 kW), essentially phasing out the current M760Li spec with its 6.6-liter V12 and 600 hp (447 kW).
The electrification of the BMW 7 Series won’t end with the launch of the i7, however. According to the Bavarian carmaker’s roadmap, the current 745e Hybrid (see video) will get a big brother called M750e in 2022 or so.