Rear-drive edition serves as lower-cost alternate to dual motor type set to start NZ availability.

NOTHER edition of BMW’s key electric car for the immediate future has become regionally available.

The new entry-level model for the iX3 medium electric sports utility vehicle is called the 40, and brings rear-drive to the formula.

So far only Australia has been confirmed for the variant, but as that country and New Zealand operate under almost wholly common auspices, a local announcement is also planned.

Across the water the new car site $NZ25000 below the iX3 50 xDrive that’s already available to order, with an example (above) presently touring New Zealand for localised presentations to first adopters.

Conceivably, if that pricing also adopted here, then the iX 40 could site around, if not just below, the $100,000 mark.

The first units of the 40 are set to arrive in the fourth quarter of this year; a timing which puts it right behind the iX 50 xDrive.

As said, the biggest change is with the drivetrain. The iX 50 runs a 345kW dual-motor set-up and 108.7 kWh battery.

The 40 instead employs a 235kW/500Nm rear-mounted motor paired with a smaller 82.6 kWh battery.

That new marriage delivers slightly less range and a more subdued performance, but it still reaches 100kmh from a standing start in just 5.9 seconds and its range is rated at 635km on the WLTP cycle versus the up-to 805km claim of the 50 xDrive.

Importantly, the iX3 40 can be DC fast charged at up to 300kW and BMW claims a 10-80 percent charge time of just 21 minutes. Just 10 minutes of charging can deliver up to 300 km of range under “optimal conditions”.

AC charging is standard at a rate of up to 11 kW, with an optional 22 kW AC charging allowing a full charge in just over four hours.

The standard feature list for the iX3 40 mirrors the 50 xDrive, which means 20-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, LED lighting with an illuminated central grille, the brand’s latest operating system with both a 17.9-inch touchscreen and another ‘panoramic’ screen at the base of the windscreen, Harman Kardon audio and safety features like adaptive lane guidance, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera.