In golf, few tournaments inspire as much excitement as the Ryder Cup. The cup, which pits Team America against Team Europe once every two years, begins on September 24th and it seems that golf isn’t the only thing to get excited about this time around. BMW has long been involved in the iconic tournament, becoming the Official Car Partner in 2006. Since then, the Marque’s presence has grown at each tournament, becoming synonymous with the event itself and announcing that it will be the Worldwide Partner of The Ryder Cup in 2021 and 2023. This year is set to bring something new to the storied partnership, though, with the best look yet at the new BMW iX scheduled.
Having been introduced to the world with a digital world premiere last fall, we got our first glimpse at the real BMW iX at Auto Shanghai last April. Positioned as the flagship-frontrunner in electric for the Marque, the BMW iX is slated as one of the most exciting developments in recent BMW — scratch that, general automotive — history.
It seems a bit odd to preview a car at the world’s favorite golf tournament, though, right? Well, actually no. BMW’s long-running relationship with the event is the starting point. Aside from that, though, the model is perfectly suited to the Ryder Cup. Thanks to its spacious interior, the BMW iX fits everything needed for a trip to the links. Plus, with more and more golf courses providing electric charging units, the iX looks set to become the go-to golf caddy.
On to the car itself, the BMW iX combines locally emission-free driving, signature sporting agility, and a compelling operating range with a character profile dedicated squarely to sustainability. The golf-ready interior, as well as boundary-pushing technical assets, place the BMW iX at the pinnacle of the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) concept. The electric all-wheel-drive system offers a combined output of around 523hp to ensure that the iX lives up to its well-balanced characteristics: the build caters to luxury and performance in equal measure.
In fact, everything about the BMW iX is engineered to blend optimum ride comfort with sporty handling characteristics. Take the aluminum space frame construction and the Carbon Cage’s use of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic in the roof and sides. This results in an intelligent material mix to increase rigidity while minimizing weight. Optimized aerodynamics contribute to the car’s drag coefficient of just 0.25, increasing efficiency and range and leading us naturally on to the beautifully sleek visuals.
Halfway between a racer and a 4×4, the BMW iX is as versatile visually as it is technically. The name of the game for the design was reduction. The eyes are instantly drawn to the almost completely blanked-off BMW kidney grille which features a camera and radar sensors. From there, the clean structure stretches back in imposing style with just the right amount of muscular SAV proportioning, matched by precisely crafted details for a progressive, luxurious finish.
The iX won’t be the only feat of engineering on show, either. Along with the fully electric BMW iX, which arrives in Europe and the rest of the world end of this year and in the U.S. early next year, we saw the Ryder Cup trophy dropped in from the skies. Carried by a wingsuited jumper, the trophy was protected by a case designed by Designworks.