BMW iX1 Will Be Brand’s Least Expensive EV

• BMW reveals iX1 electric SUV alongside gas-engined X1 models, promised with a range of 272 miles in the WLTP cycle.

• The iX1 is expected to be priced below BMW's current EV offerings, available in certain markets.

• The BMW Group is positioning Mini to assume the role of offering affordable, small electric models in coming years.

This week BMW took the wraps of what will be its most affordable EV, revealing the iX1 crossover. That's the good news.

The bad news is, this model will not be offered in the US or Canada. The electric variant arrives as part of the third-generation X1 lineup, and therefore shares most of its sheetmetal with the gasoline and diesel models, with the former most certainly destined for US showrooms.

But the electric version, wearing the now familiar bright blue paint accents of the BMW i range, will stay on the other side of the pond for now, with BMW bringing the larger and more expensive iX stateside this spring to satisfy those who've been waiting for a large EV with a roundel.

What does the iX1 offer?

A dual-motor layout generating a combined 308 hp and 364 lb-ft of torque, giving it a noticeable boost over the gas-engined X1. It's quicker too, as you'd expect, with a 5.7-second 0-to-62 mph sprint time. Range estimates for the all-wheel-drive xDrive30, as it will be badged, have also been revealed, albeit in the somewhat optimistic WLTP cycle.

"The fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology additionally comprises the car’s highly efficient charging technology, including the improved charging software also found in the BMW i7, and a high-voltage battery positioned flat within the vehicle’s underbody, whose high energy density gives the car a range of 413-438 kilometers (257-272 miles)," the automaker notes.

The arrival of the iX1 is an important milestone for BMW's electrification efforts, especially during a year that will see so many EV arrivals from Munich, with the model indirectly replacing the i3. Yes, the i3, seemingly on sale forever, will remain in production in Leipzig, Germany for another month, and will not receive a direct replacement. Rather, BMW is expected to offer the iX1 in place of the funky upright hatch that effectively launched Munich's modern EV era, with European buyers now more keen on the crossover layout and image.

The non-appearance of the iX1 stateside likely reflects some shrewd priorities for BMW in its North American strategy, with the i4 playing the role of entry electric offering, as the recently launched iX3 isn't available here either. The larger iX, meanwhile, will fill the niche of the electric SUV, while the i7, due in a matter of months, will eventually arrive as the flagship sedan. When it comes to small EVs from the BMW Group, we have the Mini Cooper SE, which will squeeze the last few years out of the UKL platform that initially debuted in gas form nearly a decade ago, before the next crop of Minis arrive with EV drivetrains.

The automaker's decision not to offer the iX1 here leaves the Audi Q4 e-tron and its coupe-shaped Sportback twin alone among German automakers in the premium compact segment, with Mercedes keeping the EQA out of the states. A small electric Mini crossover will eventually make up for this gap, but we won't see it for a while.