BMW has showcased the kidney grille that will be used by the all-electric iNext when it hits the assembly line in 2021.
As the BMW iNext will be an all-electric vehicle, it doesn’t need a traditional front grille to cool an engine. Nevertheless, the German automaker has decided its front end should still be defined by a kidney grille, albeit one that is solid and rather than providing any type of cooling, it instead houses a bunch of important technologies.
Read More: 2021 BMW iNext Flexes Its Electric Muscles On The Nürburgring
According to BMW, the iNext’s grille houses various radar functions, camera technology and other sensors that are key in ensuring the vehicle is ready for fully automated driving.
The grille was developed at BMW Group’s Landshut Lightweight Construction and Technology Center (LuTZ). BMW refers to the grille as the “eye” of the iNext and says the Landshut site will produce a host of other innovative components for the car, including its innovative electric drive system.
2021 BMW ix SUV illustration – copyright Carscoops / Josh Byrnes
“Automated driving is a huge chance for Germany as an industrial location. With future-oriented technologies, we are generating decisive competitive advantages. Especially during the current transformation of our sector, our in-house component production at Landshut is assuming more than ever the role of an innovation hub,” member of the board of management of BMW AG responsible for Purchasing and Supplier Network, Dr. Andreas Wendt said. “In addition to highly automated driving, mobility of the future will be characterized by electric mobility and digitalisation – the BMW iNEXT is synonymous with all of this, as are Landshut and the BMW Group in Lower Bavaria.”
Underpinning the BMW iNext will be the automaker’s fifth-generation eDrive system that will be good for 530 hp and complete with a lightweight 80 kWh battery pack.
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