BMW iNEXT in production spec makes an undercover appearance in Sweden

Last fall,

BMW showed off its iNEXT electric crossover concept packed full of fanciful design and high-tech features

. The company promised it for 2021, and we figured we wouldn’t see much of it for a while. But instead,

BMW

just released images of the production model undergoing cold weather testing in Sweden. The

crossover

is under heavy camouflage, but it still gives us a decent preview of the iNEXT.

Compared with the concept, the production iNEXT does retain some key design cues, but is thoroughly toned down. The bucktoothed conjoined kidney grille, though still enormous, is much shorter, no longer extending into the front bumper. The headlights are also still super slim and placed toward the top of the grille. The front fascia is more upright and blunt, and the hood is flatter, resulting in a sharper transition between the two. The rear is far less bulbous than the concept’s. The flanks seem to have lost the unique flat fender highlights, and the whole profile is fairly conventional BMW crossover. Naturally, the rear suicide doors are gone, and normal door handles have returned.

BMW still isn’t saying much about the production iNEXT’s feature set except that it will be fully electric and feature all-wheel drive. Odds are, it will probably use two motors like with

all-wheel-drive Teslas

and the

Audi E-Tron

. It’s also a safe bet that over-the-top features such as the interior projectors, lounge seating and touch-sensitive materials won’t be available. Stay tuned for more details as we approach the car’s release in 2021.

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