The all-electric BMW iX1 is now on sale in South Africa. It starts from R1,140,000 . It joins the growing list of battery electric vehicles now available from BMW for consumers in South Africa to buy, adding onto the MINI Cooper SE , the BMW i4 eDrive 35 M Sport , the iX3, the i4 M50, the iX, and the flagship i7 sedan.BMW has been the leader in South Africa in terms of consistently bringing battery electric vehicles to South Africa since about 2015 when it brought the i3.
The iX1 comes in quite a bit more expensive than ICE vehicles such as the Alpha Romeo Tonale 1.5L Hybrid Veloce, the Mercedes-Benz GLA 200d AMG Line, and the Lexus UX 250h F Sport. The iX1 starts at $62,928 whilst the Alpha Romeo Tonale 1.5L Hybrid Veloce, the Mercedes-Benz GLA 200d AMG Line, and the Lexus UX 250h F Sport start from $45,273, $50,390, and $52,319, respectively. The all-electric Volvo XC40 P6 Recharge Plus is slightly cheaper than the iX1 at $56,046.
The Volvo has done quite well in South Africa, but unfortunately is supply constrained, with Volvo South Africa only releasing a few vehicles at a time. Last time they had an online sale of the vehicle, they were sold out in 24 hours. Who said there is no demand for EVs? A similar model has been employed by Hyundai in Australia, leaving many customers frustrated.
The iX1 does come in cheaper than some popular ICE vehicles, such as the Jaguar E-Pace D200 AWD R Dynamic HSE and the Range Rover Evoque P250 Autobiography. Good to see more BEVs coming to South Africa at prices that are competitive with some of the popular ICE vehicles in a similar vehicle segment.