The true hotshot of the iX family has been revealed – along with a host of technology advances.

EVIDENCE suggests the third – and very much the hottest – version of the electric iX will join the New Zealand-confirmed lineup in the second half of this year.

BMW New Zealand is among few brand affiliates yet to speak about the iX M60, a variant positioning above the xDrive40 and xDrive50, models filtering here now in Sport treatments for $163,900 and $197,900 respectively.

Fully revealed yesterday at the annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, where BMW has mounted an impressive technology display – much run virtually, out of Munich, due to covid conditions - the new adjunct packs 455kW and 1015Nm, rising to 1100Nm when launch control is activated.

Those outputs make it a much racier prospect than siblings which deliver 240kW/640Nm and 385kW/765Nm.

 BMW says the new flagship, whose twin motors feed from a 112kWh battery, accelerates from zero to 100kmh in just 3.8 seconds - 0.7 seconds quicker than the xDrive50 and 2.2s quicker than the xDrive40 - and has a top speed of 250kmh.   

Range is cited at 566 kilometres when measured to the WLTP standard, a fair fist considering the xDrive40 is cited to achieve 425km range from a 76.6kWh battery and the xDrive50 is said to be good for up to 630km range from a 111.5kWh battery.

Unsurprisingly, the iX M60 features a retuned suspension, beefed-up brakes, aero parts, and other such improvements a typical BMW M performance model offers.

 BMW Group says it has meticulously fine-tuned the chassis technology of the iX to match the M60’s “exceptionally sporty performance profile”.

The type’s fast track to this part of the world has been confirmed by BMW Australia, of which the New Zealand operation is a subsidiary. Our neighbour says it will take the type in mid-2022.

Typically, those announcements have been echoed by the Auckland office – that certainly was the case in respect to all BMW models announced here for the past year, including the other iXs.

A relatively low-key arrival into this market belies the iX’s status; it stands as one of BMW’s most important new cars in years.

Featuring the brand’s fifth-generation eDrive electric motors and a brand new, EV-centric architecture that will underpin upcoming BMW models, the squat virtually X5-sized five-seater serves as a preview of what’s to come from the Bavarian marque. It’s also a technical showcase, with BMW’s latest infotainment and driver-assistance systems wrapped in its radical SUV shape.

In addition to revealing the iX M60, BMW also used CES for the first public demonstration of the iX Flow, which reveals a new body colour technology that allows the exterior to change from black to white at the push of a button.

This ability comes from use of uses the same 'E ink' electrophoretic technology built into the screens of e-Book readers, except applied to a special car body wrap.

Electrophoresis works by using an applied electric field to separate molecules — in this case, black and white pigments — based on their respective electric charges.

Alongside the aesthetic benefits, changing the car's colour could also be used to take some of the strain off of the air con/heating system, BMW’s designers have explained.

In the future, the same technology may also be applied to the inside of new BMW models, allowing drivers to change the colour of their car interior as well.