BMW has combined its most expensive paint option with the cheapest version of its new electric SUV, creating a configuration that stands out in a model range otherwise dominated by conservative finishes. A right-hand-drive BMW iX3 40 finished in Twilight Purple has been photographed in the UK, pairing the entry-level single-motor powertrain with the optional M Sport Package and the largest wheels available: 22-inch Y-spoke 1054 M Bicolor alloys.
The Individual paint alone costs £4,385 in Britain, a figure that exceeds the premium normally associated with a range-topping model. Applying it to the iX3 40, which uses a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 315 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque, makes for an unusual specification. The iX3 40 is otherwise the sensible choice in the line-up, and its 82.6-kWh usable battery enables up to 645 kilometres of WLTP range in the most efficient configuration, which would presumably be with a different set of wheels.
Twilight Purple is one of several Individual colours BMW added to the iX3 line-up earlier this year. When the Neue Klasse SUV entered production at the new Debrecen plant in Hungary, the selection of Individual colours was understandably limited. The factory initially offered just Tanzanite Blue and Frozen Space Silver as BMW gradually brought its new paint shop online. That changed in late May, when BMW expanded the palette with nine additional Individual finishes, and the luxury automaker announced more Individual hues just this week.
As things stand, the German configurator, which is usually the most up-to-date, shows the following special colours: Frozen Pure Red, Twilight Purple, Purple Silk, Voodoo Blue, Tanzanite Blue, Orinoco, Java Green, Urban Green, Malachite Green, Grigio Telesto Pearl, Sepang Bronze, Frozen Black, Frozen Space Silver and Frozen Ocean Wave Blue. More colours are likely on the way.
That is worth highlighting because the Hungarian plant is still the new kid on BMW's manufacturing block. It is not yet at the point where it can offer the enormous Individual colour selection available at some of the automaker's more established factories. For now, Debrecen is still far short of the roughly 150 colours available in Dingolfing for the hot M5. Even so, Twilight Purple is a pretty good indication of where things are heading.
It does not make the electric crossover look like a giant grape; it is unmistakably purple under the right light. Combined with the iX3's clean Neue Klasse design and those enormous wheels, it is considerably more flamboyant than the early examples BMW showed in relatively conservative finishes. The configuration demonstrates how BMW's Individual programme is being extended to newer electric models, and how the Debrecen plant's paint shop is expanding its capabilities as production matures.