BMW’s forthcoming luxury electric SUV has been doing some hot-weather testing SA.

We often see spy photographs of prototypes testing in the snow and now, in the case of BMW’s forthcoming electric SUV, which will be called the iX5, a prototype has been photographed doing some hot weather testing in the Kalahari desert.

South Africa is an ideal location for car manufacturers to put prototypes through their paces in excessive heat and challenging terrain. Testing in various harsh environments is necessary to ensure that any technical or material faults can be rectified before the model goes into full-blown production. Heat testing is also useful to see how interior material, electric componentry, and suspension systems cope in extreme conditions. The Kalahari is a dusty place and it’s an ideal place to make sure that various seals (doors,boot lid, bonnet etc.) work effectively to keep dust from entering the cabin.

The BMW iX5 is due to go into production in 2021 at BMW’s Dingolfing plant in Germany and will be underpinned by BMW’s 5th generation eDrive technology. Technical details have yet to be revealed but up to 600 km range is expected and the iX5 will offer brisk acceleration with a projected zero to 100 kph of around 4 seconds on the cards.

The iX5 will also showcase the latest technology to come from BMW and you can expect advanced driver assistance systems to feature as well as sophisticated automated driving technology.

As always, we will keep you updated as more details become available.

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