BMW unveiled the facelifted 2027 i7 on April 22, 2026, at events in New York’s Grand Central Terminal and Beijing’s Auto China. The luxury electric sedan packs Rimac-built batteries. Rare-earth-free motors. And a pivot away from hands-off highway driving. Executives called it “one of the brand’s most significant reveals in a generation,” according to the official press release at BMW Group PressClub.
Start with the battery. BMW’s sixth-generation cylindrical cells—4695 format, 46mm diameter, 95mm tall—come from a partnership with Croatia’s Rimac Technology. These replace prismatic Gen5 cells. Volumetric energy density jumps 20%. Usable capacity in the i7 60 xDrive climbs to 112.5 kWh from 101.7 kWh. Pack size stays the same. Rimac runs production lines near Zagreb, shipping assemblies to BMW’s Dingolfing plant. And they use renewable energy with recycled lithium, cobalt, nickel—slashing CO2 footprint by 33%, as detailed in The Next Web.
Mate Rimac, founder and president of Rimac Group, said the system will “deliver significant improvements in energy, range, and charging performance.” That’s from Rimac’s own announcement on April 7, echoed across outlets like Hagerty Media. BMW announced the tie-up weeks earlier, on April 7, via PressClub USA. Rimac started from modifying old BMWs. Now it supplies the i7’s core, as Carscoops notes.
Range? Expect over 350 miles EPA for the i7 60 xDrive. Up to 728 km WLTP. The entry i7 50 xDrive hits 611 km WLTP. Top i7 M70 xDrive reaches 686 km. Charging hits 250 kW, up from 195 kW. A 10-minute stop adds 146 miles WLTP range. 10-80% in 28 minutes. North America gets native NACS ports.
Powertrains ditch rare earths too. Electrically excited synchronous motors use rotor windings with direct current—no permanent magnets needed. Silicon carbide inverters nestle into housings. Overall efficiency gains 20% from the powertrain. Add 7% from wheel bearings. Drag coefficient drops to 0.24.
i7 60 xDrive: 536 hp, 549 lb-ft, 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds. i7 50 xDrive: 449 hp, 487 lb-ft, 5.3 seconds. M70 tops the chart. Production kicks off July 2026 at Dingolfing. U.S. sales later this year, starting at $107,550.
But Level 3? Gone. BMW drops Personal Pilot L3—the $7,000 eyes-off option. In its place: Symbiotic Drive at $1,700. Level 2 hands-free up to 130 km/h. Eye-activated lane changes. Urban navigation. Symbiotic braking with 24 patents. Driver stays in charge always, per Electrek.
Inside, Neue Klasse tech bridges to full platform cars like the iX3 due summer 2026. Panoramic Vision projects full-width on the windshield. 17.9-inch center screen. 14.6-inch passenger display. OS X. Optional 31.3-inch 8K theater screen with Amazon Fire TV over 5G. Rear door touchscreens. Bowers & Wilkins Diamond 4D audio: 1,965 watts, 35 speakers.
Exterior updates. Illuminated Kidney Iconic Glow grille. Crystal headlights. Full-width rear bar. 22-inch wheels. 70% recycled aluminum on some. Digital rearview mirror. Ceremonial Light Carpet projects 194,000+ pixels on startup.
And the business side. BMW sold 442,072 BEVs in 2025, up 8.3%. Q1 2026 dipped 20% to 87,458. This i7 acts as a stopgap. Full Neue Klasse—800V, 400 miles in iX3—looms. Rimac’s role expands BMW’s supply chain beyond China giants like CATL.
Reaction on X lit up fast. Sawyer Merritt detailed specs: 350 miles EPA, NACS standard. Greg Kable highlighted the 400V limit versus upcoming 800V models. ElectrekCo called out nearly 450 miles range. Spanish accounts like Antonio José Pérez pegged 721 km WLTP.
China gets long-wheelbase variants first. i7 M70L hits 3.1 seconds 0-100 km/h. Ties into BMW’s “In China, For China” push, per X posts from ThinkerCar. 40 new models in three years. 50% electric sales by 2030.
Competitors watch. Mercedes EQS faces pressure. Tesla’s slump opened doors, as The Next Web reported earlier. BMW bets on luxury plus practicality. No rare-earth dependency. Affordable assist tech. Rimac juice.
Challenges remain. 400V architecture lags 800V peers. Q1 sales dip signals market caution. But efficiency tweaks—flush glazing, acoustic tires, aero mirrors—boost real-world use. OTA updates via new E/E setup promise evolution.
This i7 won’t redefine EVs. It sharpens BMW’s edge. Bridges old to new. Delivers range executives promised. And keeps drivers engaged—eyes on, hands optional.
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