[BimmerTim]

While crossovers are handily out-pacing sedans in new vehicle sales, it would appear that demand for an electric BMW is much higher when it comes to the more conventional sedan.

According to a friend of i4Talk.com, the ratio of i4 to iX reservations is more than double with 2,095 i4 models reserved so far in the United States compared to 952 iX models.

In the Western region those numbers skew much harder to the i4 with a ratio that's almost 4:1.

This ratio holds true on the order tracker here at i4Talk.com with 32 site members having filled out our reservation form compared to 13 over at iXforums.com

32

The BMW i4 Reservation Tracking List

Now that the i4 four-door coupe is available to pre-order, it is time to organize a new list where everyone can share their order. As vehicles reach production, we will be able to see as a community which configurations reach pre-order holders first, and which configurations are built later...

www.i4talk.com

13

The BMW iX Reservation Tracking List

Now that the iX sports activity vehicle is available to pre-order, it is time to organize a new list where everyone can share their order. As vehicles reach production, we will be able to see as a community which configurations reach pre-order holders first, and which configurations are built...

www.ixforums.com

Given how much everybody seems to want a SUV these days I'm surprised it's that big of a gap between the i4 and iX. I would've expected it to be much closer if not the iX leading the i4.

 

[Paul]

I think the iX is overpriced. That may be the crux of the problem.

 

[greensaloon]

Looking at X3 and X5 sales from 2020 I really expected the iX to be well ahead. But right behind them is the 3-Series and then 5-Series. Then there's the whole conquest part of what BMW is achieving with the i4. It will be interesting to see how these numbers fluctuate as the sample size grows for both the iX and i4.

BMW Brand USA Sales by Model in 2020
BMW brand sales in the USA in 2020 by model were as follows:

Model	2020	2019	%
i3	1,508	4,980	-70
i8	191	1,148	-83
2 Series	14,616	8,330	75.5
3 Series	41,442	51,848	-20.1
4 Series	9,495	21,439	-55.7
5 Series	26,785	39,051	-31.4
6 Series	200	1,503	-86.7
7 Series	6,443	9,569	-32.7
8 Series	7,737	4,410	75.4
Z4	2,371	3,042	-22.1
X1	14,405	19,961	-27.8
X2	7,387	12,503	-40.9
BMW passenger cars	132,580	177,784	-25.4
X3	59,941	70,395	-14.9
X4	7,677	8,868	-13.4
X5	50,642	55,045	-8
X6	7,313	4,337	68.6
X7	20,579	21,574	-4.6
BMW light trucks	146,152	160,219	-8.8
BMW brand	278,732	338,003	-17.5

 

[magnus600]

I think a lot of people want "normal" cars, not an SUV or a car that look like an obvious electric car.. like an overgrown fisher price toy, that is...
To speak for myself - when they presented the Skoda ivision concept car I was almost first in line! Sleek looking coupe with awd and everything! But the production car turned out to be an ordinary SUV, rear wheel drive only. Awd came later on. Still no coupe. If you look at the Audi e-tron, and the recent Q4 e-tron.. ordinary SUVs, and some tall sportback being the same SUV just with a shaved rear end. VW id4.. again an SUV. Mercedes EQC, Ford Mach E, Kia EV6.. all of them SUVs or close to it. I don't want that, I want a normal car! Just a good looking, practical, sporty electric car with awd, large battery, trailer hook ++. Is that so hard to make? Tesla has done it, but not everyone want Tesla. The BMW i4 M50 xdrive ticks all my boxes. Simple as that!

 

[Sjokosaus]

Seems quite low for an EV doesn't it? Hopefully sales will be better.

 

[salant76]

I am with @magnus600 all of the recent BEVs that have been released this year and planned for next year are either SUVs or CUVs. If you want a car BEV below $80K US the options are limited to Tesla Model 3, BMW i4 and Polestar 2.
(Do realize that you can still buy other BEV cars but they are going to be replaced by SUV/CUVs with in a year).

The pre-order numbers seem really low but BMW seemed to have planned it that way in the US. Still haven't yet pre-ordered my i4 (plan on doing so July or August), the delivery date is now summer 2022 WAS before June 30, 2022.

 

[Willy5]

Interesting. SUV's need to be practical. Likely SUV EV range an issue. Surprised the numbers are so low for BMW sedans and even the i4 preorders - data date? Def early adopters here. EV market is not yet mainstream/mature.

 

[i4 M50 Rennenprofi]

Interesting. SUV's need to be practical. Likely SUV EV range an issue. Surprised the numbers are so low for BMW sedans and even the i4 preorders - data date? Def early adopters here. EV market is not yet mainstream/mature.

SUVs are inherently impractical. People automatically pay tens of thousands of dollars more than they do for a wagon or hatchback because an SUV is raised up and called an SUV. A wagon is more practical and usually offers more cargo capacity than an SUV. Also when a vehicle is classified as an SUV in the USA it is allowed to get poorer fuel economy and pollute more. Additionally vehicles classified as SUVs or non-passenger vehicles in the USA are allowed to be less safe than a hatchback, sedan or wagon. If the BMW iX was a wagon instead of an SUV it would be lighter, have a better drag coefficient and have a better range.

Not everyone wants to go along with the illogical SUV craze. In the USA Tesla, BMW and Porsche are the only ones offering electric cars worth considering. If you want a practical, roomy electric wagon with lots of cargo capacity just wait until 2023 when VW releases the ID. Space Vizzion…

 

[Willy5]

SUVs are more popular. Why? They're "perceived" as practical for transporting the kids and giving folks a higher seating position from which to view the road. They are raised up station wagons, so the capacity is a function of the size of the box. Personally I never like the road feel and the higher center of gravity makes them more prone to rollover. Nonethless, people perceive them as safer. For those who do take them off road, charging stations are few & far between.

 

[BimmerTim]

Speaking of practicality, I imagine the iX not having a frunk is going to turn some people off compared to other electric SUVs.

 

[Willy5]

The Tesla frunk is nothing to write home about.

 

[i4 M50 Rennenprofi]

Comparing strictly cargo capacity:

VW Golf 7.5 Wagon:
30.4 cubic feet with the rear seats up
66.5 cubic feet with seats down

VW ID.4
30.3 cubic feet with seats up
64.2 cubic feet with seats down

Winner is the wagon not the SUV.

BMW i4
16.6 cubic feet with seats up
45.6 cubic feet with seats down

BMW iX
17.7 cubic feet with seats up
61.8 cubic feet with seats down

Draw: if you have a family of 4 you’re not putting the seats down on a trip anyway so is 1.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity worth paying a ton more for to go with an SUV and give up driving a regular vehicle? You can get dual motor AWD with the i4 and the iX.
If you are a family of 3 or have no children the iX wins for the extra cargo capacity gained while folding part of the back seat down.

Just for kicks and giggles I’m adding some other vehicles for comparison sake:

VW Golf 7.5 GTI - 22.8/52.7 cubic feet

Tesla Model Y - 68 cubic feet (total)

Tesla Model 3 - 15 cubic feet (total)

Porsche Boxster - 9.6 cubic feet (total: frunk & trunk)

Porsche Cayman - 14.9 cubic feet (total: frunk & hatch)

Porsche Taycan with small battery - 17.2 cubic feet total: frunk & trunk)

Porsche Taycan with large battery - 15.89 cubic feet total: frunk & trunk)

*Note: While the frunk volume was already added in to the numbers I posted, I would like to point out that Porsche lists it as 2.9 cubic feet on their website.

**Note: the frunk on the Porsche Cayman/Boxster 718 is 5.2 cubic feet. It makes sense that it is larger as there are no batteries in the floor eating into frunk space.

***Note: Tesla does not list the frunk’s cargo capacity separately for the Tesla 3 or Tesla Y so it’s most likely smaller than Porsche’s. When Tesla lists cargo capacity it is only as total.

 

[i4 M50 Rennenprofi]

Personally I never like the road feel and the higher center of gravity makes them more prone to rollover. For those who do take them off road, charging stations are few & far between.

Jeep had a recent electric Wrangler type concept vehicle with manual transmission. It doesn’t make sense to install chargers where there is not a paved road so if one went off roading they would have to charge up right before leaving the road. Additionally you would want to make sure the under carriage has added scrape protection to protect the batteries from rocks. I know the AWD versions of the VW ID.4 has said scrape protection on the underside. While VW raced their Toureg in the Dakar, 99.5 percent of SUV owners never take their vehicles off-road. Subaru and Jeep owners are most likely to actually take their vehicles off-road

Right. Tiger Woods was most recently driving an SUV while recklessly speeding on city streets which resulted in him crossing over the center divider and two lanes of opposing traffic before he crashed. Luckily he didn’t kill any students on the way to school.

center of gravity isn’t as bad with an electric suv as the batteries are low, but with a sedan or wagon the batteries are even lower and the center of gravity is even lower

 

[Administrator]

UPDATE:

Hey everyone. I wanted to update this thread and correct and error. The 2,095 / 952 numbers were not for the US but for the Western region of BMW dealers. The smaller number was for a specific market.

 

[Administrator]

To add to this thread, a friend just sent this over detailing pre-orders for the i4 and iX in the western US.

He said pre-order growth has trailed off recently, which isn't surprising as there will always be a spike when the models debut.

 

[Neal]

I think the iX is overpriced. That may be the crux of the problem.

I completely agree that price is the reason. The IX is way overpriced and if you look at what is coming especially from Asia, they may have trouble. The Ionic 5 and Genessis GV60 seem to offer a lot more innovation and style for less cost.