2023 BMW i7 Prototype Benchmarked Against Tesla Model Y and Mercedes EQS

750 miles and a range of 435 miles should give competitors a lot of headaches

BMW is very serious about electrifying its future lineup. So far we’ve seen the iX and the i4, but the future will bring electric versions for pretty much every other car in the lineup. So far, the future i5 and the i7 are the ones that seem the most promising ones. A previous report suggested both cars will deliver in excess of 750 horsepower - making them the most powerful BMW road cars.

2023 BMW i7 Prototype Benchmarked Against Tesla Model Y and Mercedes EQS Exterior Spyshots
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And it looks like for the i7 BMW has some serious plans. The car was spotted testing outside BMW’s technical center in Munich, Germany next to cars like Mercedes EQS, Tesla Model Y and Xpeng P7, which means BMW does now only plan to attack the European and American electric luxury market, but also wants to have a word with the Chinese electric market.

2023 BMW i7 Prototype Benchmarked Against Tesla Model Y and Mercedes EQS Exterior Spyshots
- image 1035492

The i7 - or the electric version of the 7-Series - is rumored to be offered in three different versions: i7 eDrive45, i7 xDrive50, and i7 M60, with a possible i7 M coming into the future. The first version will be offered with a single motor at the rear, while the last two ones will feature a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. As for the i7 M rumors suggest it will support up to a 120-kWh battery and will be offered with a three-motor setup: two large motors on the rear axle and a smaller motor.

This system will offer it a combined output of 750 horsepower - although there were rumors saying it will "only" make 650 horsepower.

No matter what, it will still be more powerful than the current most powerful BMW: the M5 CS that only deliver 627 horsepower.

2023 BMW i7 Prototype Benchmarked Against Tesla Model Y and Mercedes EQS Exterior Spyshots
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What’s even more impressive is that the i7 is rumored to offer a range of 700 kilometers (435 miles) - numbers that will put to shame cars like the Mercedes-Benz EQS (350 miles) and Tesla Model S (412 miles), but under the Lucid Air which is said to offer a range of 517 miles.

The i7 is rumored to be unveiled towards the end of 2022 with sales to begin in 2023. The i7 is part of BMW’s plans to sell around 2 million electric cars by 2022.

Source: Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

Alina Moore
Alina Moore
Alina Joined the Topspeed.com team in the early 2000s as one of the outlets very first experts, and she’s been with Topspeed.com ever since. Over the years, she’s served various roles, but today she’s is relied on heavily to verify automotive facts, assist with formatting, and discover new and engaging topics.  Read full bio
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