You could say that the first-ever fully electric gran coupe is the Philippine market’s forbidden fruit, and it’s sad because it’s supposedly the embodiment of the brand’s “Sheer Driving Pleasure” philosophy, but re-engineered for the electric age.

Like the iX3, it rides on a flexible vehicle architecture that it happens to share with the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. In fact, it’s made on the very same assembly line in Munich, Germany as its combustion and plug-in hybrid counterparts. Of course, in this case, propulsion is provided by a fifth-generation eDrive powertrain. In Singapore, it comes in the i4 eDrive40 which produces 340 horsepower and 430 Nm of torque—figures that easily match, or in some cases, exceed its gasoline and diesel-powered counterparts. Oh, and in case you were wondering, 0 to 100 km/h is done in 5.7 seconds, while top speed is limited to 190 km/h.

Keeping the i4 going is a slim high-voltage battery that reduces its center of gravity and improves its overall rigidity while keeping BMW’s signature balanced weight distribution. With an 80-kWh battery pack, range reaches up to 590 kilometers on a single charge.

Similar also to the iX3, the BMW i4’s design is an offshoot of its combustion engine counterpart, but here, the kidney grille has been blanked-off, while BMW i Blue contrasts on its aero elements signal to by-standers that it’s an EV. Inside, it’s equal parts familiar and high-tech. The general execution is close to the 4 Series Grand Coupe, but it does come with the latest-generation iDrive system with the Curved Display. The latter merges the instrument cluster and infotainment system into one piece. It also has a Hans Zimmer composed interior engine note (BMW Iconic Sound) which sounds a lot like the THX cinematic logo (who remembers those?)

BMW Group Asia says they’re ready to offer the BMW i4 to the Philippine market if local distributor SMC Asia Car Distributor is willing to take it in. On the other hand, BMW Philippines thinks they’re better off introducing EV tech using their SUVs such as the iX3 and iX, and large sedans like the upcoming 7 Series.

With that in mind, do you think there’s a market for a uniquely packaged electric vehicle like the BMW i4?