- BMW has been forced to shut down production of a popular electric SUV over parts shortages.
- The German plant has enough 17- and 18-inch wheels for May, but not for the whole of June.
- Customers are being told to wait as long as October for delivery, or upgrade to 19-inch rims.
New-car buyers might expect to wait a while for their ride if they’ve ordered some fancy personalization option, like a Porsche paint-to-sample color. But some drivers expecting to take delivery of their ordinary electric BMW SUVs this summer might have to wait until fall simply because they wanted something that’s supposed to be standard.
That’s apparently the situation facing some BMW iX1 customers in Europe, where production disruptions tied to the humble 17- and 18-inch wheels are reportedly forcing builds to be paused and slowing deliveries by months.
Related: BMW’s Faclifted iX1 Looks Just Like A Mini iX3
“There are still enough wheels for production in May, but already in June the capacities will not be sufficient,” a BMW production manager wrote in a letter to dealers seen by Automobilwoche. Though the cause of the mess-up wasn’t revealed, and the manager said BMW was in contact with the supplier, he admitted “it will probably take some time before this bottleneck is resolved.”
This isn’t some limited-run supercar needing carbon fiber center-lock wheels. We’re talking about the smaller, cheaper wheels many customers specifically choose because, while they might not be as attractive as bigger rims, they’re affordable, and deliver better ride comfort. But most importantly for an EV, they also deliver the best electric range.
BMW’s suggested workaround is to move buyers into 19-inch wheels instead. But the larger wheels reportedly require customers to upgrade into pricier trim packages, adding roughly €1,900 ($2,100) to the bill. Buyers might also lose a bit of driving range.
A bone-stock iX1 on 17s claims 320 miles (515 km) of range, but switching to 19s drops that to 316 miles (509 km), and going with 20s, it falls to 305 miles (491 km). Strangely, the short-supply the standard 18s deliver 313 miles (504 km) of range, so it’s only those who wanted the no cost-option 17s that’ll lose out in terms of range by upgrading to 19s.
For customers waiting on expiring leases or trade-ins, the delays could be a real pain. One dealer reportedly pushed an iX1 delivery back by roughly three months, leaving the customer stuck figuring out transportation in the meantime.
It wouldn’t be so bad if we were talking about a niche product, but the soon-to-be-facelifted iX1 is a big deal on a continent where electric sales are still booming.
“The iX1 has become our bread and butter vehicle,” one dealer told the German outlet.
