SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp. (SMC ACDC), the official distributor of BMW in the Philippines, has officially confirmed the arrival of the BMW iX3. This will be the German luxury automaker’s second pure electric vehicle (EV) in the Philippines after the iX. Since this is not riding on a bespoke EV platform like the iX, the iX3 will definitely be one of the more affordable luxury EVs out there.
If the iX3 looks familiar, that’s because it’s simply the electric version of the X3. Powering this electric luxury SUV is the same fifth-generation eDrive powertrain as the iX, but unlike the iX’s dual motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup, the iX3 is only in a single motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) configuration. Therefore, it has less power than the iX at 286 hp (but it’s still a healthy number) and 400 Nm of torque. Still, its 0-100 kph time of 6.8 seconds is considered fast by any means.
In terms of charging, the BMW iX3 uses the same electric vehicle architecture as the iX, which means it can accept as much as 150 kW DC current that enables it to be juiced from 10% to 80% in around 30 minutes. If using the home 7.4 kW charger that comes with the purchase of an iX3, the charge time from empty to full is 10 hours. With its 80 kWh (74 kWh usable) lithium-ion battery fully charged, the iX3 has a claimed WLTP range of 460 km.
As for styling, the BMW iX3 receives a facelift for the 2022 model year, and that brings this electric SUV in line with the rest of the X3 range. The grille has been reshaped with a single-piece housing, though in the iX3, this has been closed off. And then being a BMW i vehicle, there are numerous blue highlights surrounding its exterior. We still have no clue on its Philippine specs, but the iX3 can be optioned with an M Sport pack (as shown) that gives it sportier looks and suspension tuning.
Inside, the iX3 looks very similar to its gas or diesel-powered siblings. A pair of 12.3-inch screens–one for the digital gauges and the other for the iDrive 7 infotainment system is equipped as standard. You can also expect amenities such as a Harman Kardon sound system, and BMW’s IconicSounds that emit synthesized electric vehicle noises that were composed by famous movie score composer Hans Zimmer.
The BMW iX3 is assembled solely at the BMW Brilliance plant in Beijing, China. It is destined to arrive in the Philippines by early next year. Expect pricing to be around the P5.2 million mark, especially since the iX retails for P6.290 million.
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