The iX has been BMW's electric flagship since 2021 and is technically a descendant of the i3 idea: here too a carbon-fibre structure does load-bearing work, this time in the roof, pillars and side frame, combined with aluminium and steel. It is sold as the xDrive40, the xDrive50 and the considerably more powerful M60.
The large panel at the front is not a grille in the usual sense. An electric car needs no cooling air there, so BMW uses the component as a sensor carrier: radar, camera and ultrasonics behind it, the surface heated and finished in self-healing paint that closes small scratches when warm.
All of which makes it one of the most expensive parts on the car to replace, and recalibrating the assistance systems afterwards is not optional. Without it, adaptive cruise and lane keeping work wrongly, and that usually shows up on the road rather than on the ramp.
The door handles sit flush and deploy electrically — an assembly with a motor and sensors rather than a mechanical handle. On panels, bear in mind that damaged carbon structures cannot be pulled straight, which is why we only take wings, aprons and mirrors off cars whose structure is intact.
