Shanghai Motor Show 2023: BMW i7 M70 – Luxury Liner at Full Power and Yes to China

"Munich is where we come from. But in China, we are at home": This is quite a statement from BMW's development chief Frank Weber in Shanghai, which might not sit well with the current risk-averse federal government and especially the foreign ministry. It is also clear that Bavaria's corporate flagship is not being launched on the Isar but in the Far East, in what appears to be their "new home": With the BMW i7 M70 xDrive, the most powerful 7 Series makes its debut at the Chinese auto show. For Weber, it is also undeniable that China is now a lead market, especially in e-mobility: "What works in China, works everywhere in the world."

BMW copes better with e-cars than German competitors

The company sees itself well positioned in the Chinese market accordingly. One is very happy with the position and looks optimistically at the business, explained CEO Oliver Zipse on Tuesday in the Far East according to DPA. In the competitive market for electric cars, BMW copes better than the German premium competitors; in the first quarter, sales of electric cars in China tripled to around 19,800, corresponding to a ten percent market share in the electric premium vehicle segment. Unlike the premium combustion engines, recently, brands such as Tesla and the Chinese brand Nio were ahead of the Germans. Discussions about a decoupling from the Chinese market were clearly rejected by Zipse. After all, the company wants to reduce risks and not put everything on one card. "That's exactly what we're doing," said the BMW boss, pointing to BMW's equally strong presence in the US market and Europe.

Visual extravagance: Two-tone paint, rocker panels and spoiler

The electric giant from Milbertshofen certainly stands out: The illuminated grille is, of course, standard, the M-Performance-Professional package dresses the brake calipers in black, adds a black high-gloss radiator grille surround, contoured M side skirts, M logos with trim on the fenders, M high-gloss Shadowline trim elements, black M exterior mirrors, a black M rear spoiler, black accent strips between the taillights, and a unique diffuser insert for the rear apron. Additionally, there are 21-inch alloy wheels in Jet Black, with high-gloss inserts and blue M sport brake calipers. For the i7, high-performance tires are available for the first time, but on 20-inch wheels. Whether the high-performance tires with the smaller diameter will affect the range is not yet known.

Dual Winding – More Power

A motor on each axle makes the "x" in xDrive. The motor on the rear axle is particularly powerful. Instead of a conventional three-phase electric motor, the propulsion unit is six-phase. Doubling the number of windings increases the power density to 2.41 kW/kg, which is 25.5 percent more than the rear motor of the i7 xDrive60. The rear motor now delivers 483 hp, plus 255 hp from the front motor. The system output is quoted by BMW as 650 hp and 748 Nm of torque. When M Launch Control or M Sport Boost is activated, this torque increases to 811 Nm. From a standstill, M Launch propels the speedometer needle to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. Only the M8 and a single configuration of the M3 and M4 can beat that. The top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h.

Large Battery – Meager Range

The 105.7-kWh battery, of which 101.7 kWh are usable, is supposed to provide a range of 475 kilometers. In the so-called Max Range Mode, the i7 sports car can go even further. In this mode, the i7 M70 reduces the top speed to 90 km/h and turns off the air conditioning as well as the comfort heating for seats and steering wheel. At a wall box, the battery can be charged with up to 11 kW, with the maximum power during DC fast charging being 195 kW.