BMW started production of its i4 late in 2021, which means it’s coming up to mid-life update time.

    It’s expected to debut in 2024.

    A spied prototype reveals the changes, at least on the surface, to be minor.

    There are restyled headlights, like those seen on the recently spied M3 update, and though there’s still camouflage on them we can expect to see restyled tail lights, too.

    The presence of camouflage on the bumpers also suggests we could see changes here too, which is par for the course for a mid-life update.

    There don’t appear to be any changes of note to the i4’s controversial grille.

    The i4 was one of the first vehicles with the BMW Curved Display and the iDrive8 infotainment system – which have been progressively rolled out across the wider BMW range – and is upgrading to iDrive8.5 this year.

    It’s therefore unclear what changes are in store for the i4’s cabin.

    It’s also unclear if there are any mechanical changes coming, such as upgraded battery technology for greater range.

    The BMW i4 is currently available globally in single-motor rear-wheel drive eDrive35 and eDrive40, as well as dual-motor all-wheel drive xDrive40 and M50 variants.

    Only the eDrive40 and M50 are currently sold here.

    The eDrive40 uses an 84kWh battery with a claimed 590km of range under the WLTP cycle, and produces 250kW of power and 430Nm of torque. That’s good for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds.

    The dual-motor M50 on the other hand has the same battery but with 510km of range, 400kW of power and 795Nm of torque, allowing it to dash to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds.

    An electric twin to the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, the i4 serves as a rival of sorts to the more affordable Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2.

    Neither Audi nor Mercedes-Benz currently have a direct rival for the i4.

    To the end of July, BMW Australia has sold only 116 examples of the i4 this year. That’s down 17.7 per cent year-to-date, and well off the pace of even more expensive EVs like the Audi e-tron GT (212 sales) and Mercedes-Benz EQE (300 sales).

    MORE: Everything BMW i4

    William Stopford

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

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