Folks — er, Individuals — merely aren’t shopping for the BMW iX like they used to. In Q1 2026, gross sales slumped to a mere 1,788 items, round a 50% drop yr over yr. Both seeing the writing on the wall — or conscious that the next-gen iX3 can be a enough holdover for EV buyers — BMW has wound down iX manufacturing for the US. That marks the start of the top for the most effective EVs on sale at the moment. No much less necessary, it marks a altering of the guard for BMW’s EV lineup. However the iX won’t fade away quietly to die an unsung hero. The iX was a milestone for BMW and EVs, and there are many good causes to wave goodbye fondly.
The BMW iX Drives Like a BMW
The totally electrical BMW iX by no means tried to imitate an internal-combustion automotive. We’re grateful; it’s all the higher for it. A lot to everybody’s shock, the iX didn’t abandon the model’s dynamism. That pure BMW-ness — steadiness — is what made it compelling. Beneath that Predator masks of a grille sits a chassis that feels composed, deliberate, and engineered with driver confidence in thoughts.
The steering, whereas lighter than conventional BMW hydraulic setups, stays exact. Importantly, it’s even fairly talkative — extra so than a lot of the present lineup, anyway — and constant. There’s a pure development, and the iX resists the floaty, disconnected sensation that plagues many massive autos no matter powertrain. Credit score the low heart of gravity from its battery pack and well-judged suspension tuning that leans towards management somewhat than extra softness. Maybe most notably, the iX does all this whereas remaining eminently comfy. The cabin is a serene place to spend your miles. Whereas the silent EV powertrain undoubtedly does among the heavy lifting right here, it’s additionally a continued credit score to the chassis wizards at BMW.
Regardless of being arguably extra 7 Sequence than sports activities automotive, the iX manages to not depart you wanting for pace, both. Beneficiant, rapid, and uninterrupted energy, mixed with the automotive’s pure surefootedness, makes dropping the hammer nonetheless really feel like an occasion, even with no engine noises. Particularly when courting the iX M70. It could not chase efficiency figures outright, but it surely carries the identical sense of engineered intentionality that defines BMW’s greatest efforts. For a big electrical SUV — BMW’s first, thoughts you — it’s an achievement.
Gimmicks and Options: The iX is Fascinating
New range-topping fashions — which the iX form of was — sometimes introduce one or two new options that turn out to be considerably central to model id. BMW went a bit of off-script with the iX, then. The iX introduced a handful of never-before-seen options to the general public. Some had been refined, others gimmicks, most had been helpful. Regardless, collectively they mirrored a willingness to rethink acquainted parts.
Take the electrochromic sunroof. As a substitute of a standard shade, the glass itself transitions from clear to opaque on the push of a button. Its usefulness can’t be overstated — particularly as somebody previously of the American Southwest, the place 300+ days of solar every year can have you ever feeling a bit…heated by the center of the summer time. Strictly practical improve over an everyday sunroof? Maybe not — and as our iX xDrive45 long run overview indicated, one thing else for the children to marvel aloud/demand solutions to. Then there’s the “self-healing” kidney grille. As a result of the iX doesn’t want conventional airflow for a combustion engine, the grille turns into a panel housing sensors and driver-assistance {hardware}. Its polyurethane coating can take in and recuperate from minor scratches, which appears like a small element till you think about how uncovered that floor is in day by day use.
Even mundane duties had been rethought. The washer fluid refill is cleverly hidden behind a roundel on the hood, preserving the clear design whereas making entry intuitive. In fact, none of those options individually redefine the section. However collectively they sign a design philosophy that values integration and person expertise over spectacle. Actually, all had been a part of a “Shy Tech” initiative BMW began across the time the iX launched. If “Shy Tech” sounds acquainted, it’s as a result of BMW continues to speak quite a bit about it when discussing our subsequent subject: the Neue Klasse vehicles.
The BMW iX Previewed the Future
Greater than something — and clearer at the moment than when the automotive debuted — the iX served as a rolling thesis for BMW’s electrical future. Lengthy earlier than the BMW Neue Klasse fashions start arriving, the iX laid a lot of the conceptual groundwork. Its inside pushed towards a reductionist aesthetic we see additional refined within the NK vehicles. Fewer buttons, elevated reliance on a central show, and an emphasis on open house and sustainable supplies.
Externally, the iX experimented with cleaner surfaces and a extra monolithic type. Not like the BMW i4, which debuted alongside the iX, the iX is a standalone mannequin not based mostly upon an ICE-powered mannequin. Whereas its design sparked debate and continues to divide audiences, it undeniably broke from legacy proportions. Are Neue Klasse vehicles the spitting picture of the iX? In fact not. However the familial resemblance is there; wanting again, it will likely be clear the place on the timeline the iX sits.
In hindsight, the iX feels, fittingly, like a bridge. It related BMW’s previous — outlined by driver engagement — with a future formed by electrification and software program. Even because it exits the U.S. market after 2026, its affect will persist within the autos that comply with.
Don’t Cry As a result of It’s Over…
On a private observe, the iX (together with the i4) was one of many first EVs I drove that didn’t sport a Tesla badge on the again of it. I used to be really blown away by how the automotive drove. I merely couldn’t consider that one thing this heavy and lacking an engine — an space BMW has all the time excelled — felt so “associated” to benchmark contemporaries just like the G20 3 Sequence and G01 X3. I’m unhappy BMW selected to finish the iX a bit of early within the U.S., even when I perceive the rationale. Because the iX3 manufacturing ramps up, it’s clearer than ever that the mannequin has massive sneakers to fill. Even when (technically) a separate section, it’s going to at the very least momentarily be the only real EV SUV you should buy from Bavaria. Within the U.S., anyway. Hopefully the iX3 retains greatness within the household.
