The BMW i4 is set to release in November 2021, which is just months away from the publish date of this article. As the vehicle reaches its launch date, BMW is making sure they push the hype train full speed ahead before the i4 and the i4 M50 hit dealerships. Oddly, it seems that until now, BMW has been relatively quiet about the i4 EV, considering how many other manufacturers have been toting their all-electric offerings.

Recently BMW released a video that breaks down everything they think a potential customer would want to know about the i4 before purchasing. This may be an effort to catch up on their messaging not to miss the upcoming EV wave. With several new electric cars and even electric trucks promised to reach the market soon, BMW can get lost in the noise if they aren’t proactive.

The brand’s vision for the future

Let’s face it, the BMW i3 and i8 were always just stepping stones to get BMW to the point where they were truly ready to release an EV with mass-appeal. The styling of the i8 and especially the i3 were polarizing, to say the least. They are both great cars for their designed purpose, but they also look like they belong in the background of a Blade Runner remake.

The BMW i4 attempts to merge modern car design with all of the latest tech buyers expect to find in a contemporary EV. More specifically, the BMW i4 looks more like a car and less like a spaceship. The casual onlooker wouldn’t be blamed for confusing the i4 for the average 3-series sedan from far enough away. The BMW i4 has telltale signs of the German brand’s design language. One look at the massive BMW “kidneys” will reveal as much. 

Rather than the front grill kidneys acting as grills to allow air to pass through, the kidneys on the BMW i4 house all of the sensors that the car uses for its advanced autonomous driving functions. 

BMW i4 versus the competition

The BMW i4 is meant to carve its own slice of the growing EV market. The question is, which car will the i4 be measured against? The natural inclination is to name Tesla as a competitor, and that is true in the general sense but perhaps not so much when considered closely. The BMW i4 has a starting MSRP of $55,400, which is well below a Tesla Model S but more than every trim of the Tesla Model 3. The closest Tesla competitor going by price would be the Model Y, but that is a small crossover SUV whereas the BMW i4 is a sedan. So, those two cars aren’t really in the same class even if their prices are similar.

The i4 is priced below all of Audi’s e-tron vehicles as well, so it seems that with this car, BMW may just corner a new section of the EV market. It offers more luxury features and brand cache than entry-level EVs. However, it is also priced below most of the other cars that customers would have at front of mind when thinking about luxury EVs.

This sweet spot could be a great benefit to BMW as the i4 could be considered a bargain compared to the Model S, or it could be a detrimental price bracket as customers would rather go with a Tesla to get more range for less money.

All you need to know about the BMW i4

It will take at least six months to a year for us to see just how effectively BMW has covered this untouched section of the EV marketplace. To their credit, they are doing their best to ensure that consumers know where they stand. The video above is proof of that. It seems to emulate the kind of video car reviews viewers would find from the likes of Carfection or EVO. 

Nicely played BMW. We’re interested to see if it all pays off.