BMW’s First Electric SUV
As BMW’s first fully-electric SUV, the iX fills the family-hauler gap left in their i series. Alongside the release of the i4, the iX features some all-new technology, upgraded infotainment, and exceptional power. Nothing short of German Luxury either, the iX seats five people very comfortably, and with storage space to fit all of the luggage and the family pets, it’s the perfect vehicle for a road trip to visit family, friends, or faraway places.
BMW History Inspired by a tremendous Legacy
Before we go diving into the future of BMW, let’s take a little look at their history. Initially founded in 1916 as an aircraft engine manufacturer, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is the parent company to BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad. The blue and white logo pays homage to the flag of Bavaria, while also representing the image of white airplane propellers against a blue sky. The logo has remained largely unchanged since the early 1900s.
BMW Produced their first automobile in 1928 under the Dixi name, which it acquired in the same year. Throughout the 1930s and leading up to WWII, BMW branched into building luxury and sports cars. During the war, their focus changed back to aircraft engines to aid in the fight against the Allied powers. Using as many as 40,000 slave laborers from concentration camps, namely Dakau, BMW was able to produce aircraft and motorcycle engines, while stopping automobile production entirely.
After the war, BMW factories had been heavily bombed and those in Western Germany were unable to produce automobiles. It wasn’t until 1952 that BMW restarted automobile production with the 501 luxury saloon.
After nearly being taken over by Daimler-Benz in the late 50s, the company was saved by Herbert and Harald Quandt after a substantial investment kept the company a separate entity. Throughout the 60s and 70s, BMW introduced many of the series that we know today, including the 3 series sedans in 1975 and the 7 series in 1978.
In 1978 as well, BMW’s M Division released their first vehicle. The M1, a mid-engine supercar, paved the way for the M5 and M3 in 1984 and 1986. These M vehicles are still considered among the best and fetch a hefty price in good condition.
Throughout the 2000s, BMW released many firsts, including the first mass-produced turbocharged engine in 2006 and their first front-wheel drive vehicle in the 2 series in 2014.
However, we’re here to talk about the electric BMWs. The first hybrid built by BMW debuted in 2010. Named the BMW ActiveHybrid 7, this 7 series featured a twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an electric motor designed to assist the internal combustion engine. With the release of the i3 in 2013, BMW started to make their move towards the future of fully-electric vehicles.
BMW iX Fully Electric
Which lands us where we are today. With numerous plug-in hybrid models and the introduction of two new fully-electric vehicles, BMW has started the transition to being fully-electric. With no set timeline on when they plan to be fully-electric by, it’s clear the move is speeding up. With the announcement of “The Final V12” edition M760i and increasing pressure on advertising electric vehicles, BMW plans to make no haste in going fully electric.
Revealed in November of 2020, the iX sort of broke the internet, at least in the car enthusiast world. Featuring the large updated kidney grilles, numbers of BMW and car enthusiasts were outraged at how far the company has strayed from the classic design of the kidney grilles and powerful engines.
Innovative design of the 2022 BMW iX
Despite the unconventional grille design, the iX has no shortage of power. With a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds, the iX would be more than capable of keeping up with an Aston Martin DB11, Dodge Viper SRT-10, or a Lamborghini Murcielago. With 811 lb-ft of torque and a maximum of 610 horsepower, this SUV is by no means big or slow.
The interior features luxurious faceted glass accents on the doors and in the center console, a photochromic sunroof, and quilted leather seats to create an exquisite luxurious feel for the passengers. With subwoofers located under the front two seats, passengers can experience music like never before.
BMW has committed to sustainability with the iX
BMW’s focus on sustainability with their electric vehicles is clear. Using Forest Stewardship Council certified woods, specially tanned leathers, and floor mats made from recycled ocean plastics, the mission to go green with these electric vehicles is hard at work.
Offered with a number of BMW’s most popular paint colors and over a dozen wheel options, you can truly customize your iX to fit your driving needs and environments. Numerous packages and accessories can be added to your vehicle as well, including titanium bronze trim, Luxury Package, or active LED headlights.
With an electric range between 280-324 miles, road trips of all sizes are possible, from a quick jaunt to the store or even a cross-country road trip with the prevalence of EV chargers.
Automotive Elegance Paint Protection Process
Upon intake here at Automotive Elegance, our Sales Team will work with you to determine your budget and what protection options will work best for you and your vehicle. The Sales Team will also come out with you to take a look at your vehicle and note any spots that may need attention from the Detail Department, potential badges to be removed, scratches, dents, or other imperfections in the exterior of your vehicle. This is so we can be sure to address these spots and ensure a quality install.
After the client leaves and their vehicle is here with us, the keys will go down to the Detail Department to start the prep wash process. Once inside our bays, the Detailers will go to work washing the vehicle to prepare it for PPF or Ceramic Coating.
The age of the vehicle, mileage, and condition will determine how they choose to go about detailing the vehicle. A brand new truck that just came from the dealership will be treated differently than one of the same model year that’s been daily driven for the last 4 weeks, and will be treated way differently than a 6-7 year old vehicle that’s just getting PPF or Ceramic for the first time.
Things like bug guts or bird droppings can create etching in the clear coat due to their acidic nature, so our detailers are careful to remove them and check the paint beneath. Vehicles that have been driven in the rain can also have iron deposits on the paint from the components of the brakes that wear naturally, creating little orange spots on lighter colored vehicles. An iron-eating cleaner will be applied to the surface of the vehicle as well, which will remove these and create a smoother surface. Sometimes manufacturer or model designation badges also need to be removed, which is done using hot water and a thin piece of fishing line designed to remove badges. The glue that adheres badges is incredibly durable, so often a light solvent is used on a microfiber towel to remove the glue without damaging the paint.
Automotive Elegance Detail Team gets to work
Our Detail team will start by cleaning the wheels with a tire and wheel cleaner and soft brushes to scrub off and remove any built-up brake dust. Even though they will not be coated with PPF, having clean wheels helps to keep the overall environment in the shop cleaner and helps to prevent contamination. Each wheel and wheel well is done individually and rinsed before moving onto the next.
After the wheels have been completed, the detailers will either apply an iron-removing cleaner to the exterior of the vehicle to remove any visible iron deposits, or move on to washing the vehicle. This wash process uses a power washer with a foam cannon attachment to create a thick but fine foam to break down things like waxes, road grime, dirt, and other stuck on debris. After completely covering the vehicle in foam, the detail team will go over the entire vehicle, including windows and the roof, with microfiber mitts. These soft mitts help to prevent any unnecessary damage to the paint while also picking up and removing any stuck-on grime.
After a rinse, the detailers will then re-soap the car to perform a clay-bar process. These sticky clay bars are designed to remove any dirt build up in microscopic superficial scratches that the water, foam, or microfiber mitts couldn’t get to. Removing any of this extra dirt creates a super smooth and contaminant-free surface for the installers to apply film or ceramic to.
After a final rinse and dry with microfiber towels and compressed air, the Quality Assurance Manager will go over the car and note any potential problem spots, including scratches, dents, or other damage to the vehicle. Even off the production line, no vehicle is ever 100% perfect, so we take note of these areas to keep on file and be extra careful with. Some scratches can be corrected out, so our detailing team is able to buff them to create a smooth and shiny finish.
Paint Protection Film Installation Begins
Once the Detail Team has finished with the vehicle, it gets moved up to one of our install bays. In this case with the iX, it was moved up to the front left, which is Jose’s favorite spot to work. Jose is one of our most talented installers and made quick work of installing the PPF on this iX. XPEL Stealth Paint Protection Film can at some times be difficult to work with, but Jose makes it look like an absolute breeze. Each panel of film is meticulously prepared by our Design Center team, cut on large Graphtec plotters using XPEL’s Design Access Program (DAP). The DAP has templates for each panel of the vehicle that would require PPF, and can be edited to create extra overhang, remove spots for badges or tow hooks, or delete panels altogether.
The installers will work off these pre-cut sheets of film to apply to the vehicle. Working one panel at a time, they will first soak the panel of the vehicle in a slip solution of water and a small amount of soap. Generally, the installers prefer baby shampoo as it’s incredibly gentle and easy to work with. Once soaked with the slip solution, the installer will peel the film from the backing paper and soak the adhesive-coated side with more slip solution. After applying it to the panel of the vehicle, they can then start the squeegee process.
Equipped with a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and water solution, the installer will use their rubber squeegee to tack down parts of each panel. Tacking down these areas helps them to stretch and fit the film to the panel and ensure minimal gaps and trims. The isopropyl alcohol solution helps to activate the adhesive on the film, and helps it to stick to the surface of the vehicle. With proper removal techniques, the film and adhesive can be removed from the vehicle with zero damage.
Using their squeegee, the installer works to push all of the slip solution from under the film, pressing the adhesive to the panel of the vehicle and leaving the film in its wake adhered. Once the panel is fully squeegeed on, the installer will go around and trim any parts as necessary with an extremely sharp blade. With countless hours of training and practice, the installers are able to trim the film without damaging the paint beneath. The installer then goes panel by panel around the entirety of the vehicle, applying each piece of PPF to the vehicle.
Final Steps in PPF Application
Once each piece has been applied, the installer will go around the vehicle with a heat gun and seal all of the edges of the film. The heat gun will help to shrink in the edges of the film and help to keep them from lifting from general wear or from washes. Then, the Quality Assurance Manager will go around the car and meticulously check the install, marking any imperfections with a small piece of tape. The installer will then go back and fix any of these imperfections before the vehicle moves on to the next part of the process.
Now the vehicle moves into our Ceramic Bay to be ceramic coated. In the case of this iX, it had already been entirely covered in PPF, so Tyler had no need to buff any of the panels and correct any superficial scratches or swirls. After going over the full surface with a ceramic prep cleaner, Tyler goes panel by panel applying the ceramic coating. Drops of the coating are applied to a microfiber applicator, which is then spread over the surface of the vehicle in a liberal application. After the panel is covered, he goes back in with a first microfiber towel to buff off the excess and spread it around. Once the panel has been fully wiped, he switches to a second microfiber towel to buff the remaining ceramic in and to remove any excess to prevent ceramic high spots. High spots can often look like a stain or have a shiny reflective look, similar to oil on water. Each panel is done in a methodical order, and then Tyler will move on to coating the windows, trim, and wheels.
The windows, trim, and wheels are done in a similar fashion to the painted body panels, where the coating is applied and then buffed off with two subsequent microfiber towels. Once completed, the vehicle is left inside in a controlled environment for the coating to cure. The Quality Assurance Manager will again go over the vehicle after ceramic coating to ensure there are no high spots and make sure everything is in perfect condition before final detail.
The final detail process involves making sure the windows are clean, there is no dirt on the door sills or carpets, shining the tires, and truly making the vehicle look better than when it rolled out of the dealership. Once completed, the keys go back up to the Sales Team and the vehicle can be delivered back to the owner.
Eye Catching XPEL Stealth Paint Protection Film BMW iX
The satin finish of the XPEL Stealth Paint Protection Film on this iX is absolutely stunning. With the gloss accents along the bottom of the doors and the model designation on the C Pillars, this SUV truly stands out in a crowd. With protection from rock chips, swirls, staining, and UV damage, this family hauler will be looking pristine for years to come, and the paint beneath will be untouched providing a higher resale value down the line. Living in electrified luxury sounds pretty nice!
Looking to transform your vehicle with XPEL Stealth Paint Protection film or protect it with XPEL Ultimate Plus? Give us a call at 781-281-7344 to get a free quote for protection on your vehicle including Paint Protection Film, Ceramic Coating and Window Tinting.