It’s time to admit that few of us predicted the commercial success of the i4 M50. It was the best-selling product from the M division in 2022 and the first half of 2023. Despite the controversy surrounding an electric M Performance car, it’s a popular product that’s now part of a wider lineup alongside the i5 M60, iX M60, and the i7 M70. You might remember seeing the i4 M50 dressed up as an official Safety Car a couple of years ago for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. It was the first electric safety car from BMW M and has since performed similar duties in Ireland during the Driving Experience events. This one does away with the MotoE livery in favor of a more stylish Sanremo Green Metallic paint job.
This one too gets a roof-mounted LED light bar and rides on 20-inch wheels (868M style) with a two-tone look and red brake calipers. Other details that stand out include the laser headlights and cognac M Sport seats – both of which are optional features. As always, a car’s specification varies from one country to another so it’s best to check with a BMW dealer in your country for exact details.
Perhaps now is not a good time to buy the i4 M50 considering a Life Cycle Impulse is on the way. The entire 4 Series Gran Coupe line will be getting a facelift in 2024, including the top model. We’ve seen more than a few prototypes and all of them had something in common – redesigned headlights. Having discovered recent BMWs, don’t be too surprised if those laser headlights we mentioned earlier will make way for a matrix LED setup.
Camouflaged prototypes spotted in recent months seemed to have a new mesh pattern for the love/hate kidney grille, which seemed to have the same shape and size. There might be some tweaks to the bumpers and taillights but nothing to write home about. Inside, the iDrive 8.5 will come pre-installed, and there might be more sustainable materials than on the outgoing pre-LCI model. Our sources close to BMW claim the i4 LCI will go into production in July 2024, so the updated electric Gran Coupe will be a 2025MY product in the United States. It’ll allegedly be retired in the summer of 2028, and logic tells us a successor would switch from the CLAR platform to the Neue Klasse architecture.
[Source: BMW Ireland / Photo instagram.com/pmcgphotos]
