[FultonMDUSA]

I was jokingly about to put our "Rookie Driver" magnet on the back of my iX before I let my teenage daughter drive it. Well, as it turns out, the rear liftgate is apparently made of aluminum, so the magnet wouldn't stick! Testing it on the entire vehicle, it appears only the roof frame, and rear quarter panels (but not the charging door) are made of steel. Everything else is aluminum (or plastic).

On my Tesla Model Y, only the doors and hood are aluminum.

[VirtualGuitars]

Originally Posted by FultonMDUSA

I was jokingly about to put our "Rookie Driver" magnet on the back of my iX before I let my teenage daughter drive it. Well, as it turns out, the rear liftgate is apparently made of aluminum, so the magnet wouldn't stick! Testing it on the entire vehicle, it appears only the roof frame, and rear quarter panels (but not the charging door) are made of steel. Everything else is aluminum (or plastic).

On my Tesla Model Y, only the doors and hood are aluminum.

BMW had to reduce weight wherever they could…. Even on my M550, most of the body panels were plastic. The rest was mostly aluminum.

[NomoTesla]

Originally Posted by FultonMDUSA

I was jokingly about to put our "Rookie Driver" magnet on the back of my iX before I let my teenage daughter drive it. Well, as it turns out, the rear liftgate is apparently made of aluminum, so the magnet wouldn't stick! Testing it on the entire vehicle, it appears only the roof frame, and rear quarter panels (but not the charging door) are made of steel. Everything else is aluminum (or plastic).

On my Tesla Model Y, only the doors and hood are aluminum.

Steel is cheaper to use in vehicles than aluminum and is the reason steel is predominantly used in the Model 3/Y. The Model S/X is the opposite and made mostly of aluminum. There are also fewer body shops that work with aluminum than steel, and the repairs are more expensive.

[FultonMDUSA]

Originally Posted by NomoTesla

Steel is cheaper to use in vehicles than aluminum and is the reason steel is predominantly used in the Model 3/Y. The Model S/X is the opposite and made mostly of aluminum. There are also fewer body shops that work with aluminum than steel, and the repairs are more expensive.

So just looked it up a Model Y is 4400 lbs, and a Model X is 5400 lbs vs. the iX50 is 5700 lbs.

[NomoTesla]

Originally Posted by FultonMDUSA

So just looked it up a Model Y is 4400 lbs, and a Model X is 5400 lbs vs. the iX50 is 5700 lbs.

Yes, Model Y is the smallest platform so weighs the least. At least half the weight difference between Model X and iX50 is the 10% additional battery capacity of the iX. Probably also the nicer and richer materials used in the iX, as well as all the sound dampening, versus the Model X.

I would like to add that the iX qualifies for the Section 179 "luxury SUV" tax deduction w/ accelerated depreciation for vehicles in excess of 6,000 lbs GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating NOT curb weight). If purchased in 2022 you can claim up to 100% of the vehicle purchase price as a tax deduction in the first year, or spread out over multiple years as you wish. I believe the maximum deduction dropped by 20% for 2023.

It's the best Realtor car!

[Paladin1]

And the iX would likely be bumping up against 7,000 pounds absent the CFRP and aluminum.

[Boulder]

A lot of the car isn't just aluminum but also has carbon fiber reinforced plastic in the construction. You can see the CFRP on the door sills when you open the doors, and on the rear sides of the trunk when the hatch is open. CFRP is even lighter and stronger than aluminum. Much more expensive as well - to manufacture and to replace (I don't think it can be repaired after a crash).

On the iX, CFRP parts include the door sills, rear window frame, rear hatch opening cover, roof rails, and roof cross bars.

The BMW iX press release has a photo of the car and its materials: https://mediapool.bmwgroup.com/downl...actEvent=image

Before the iX, the i3's chassis was a single big carbon tub (I think), and the previous gen 7 series had some carbon fiber reinforcement in parts of the frame. The i8 would have probably also had carbon in its frame. The Lexus LC500 (~2017) also used CRFP for the doors and trunk lid.

Additionally, the SavageGeese review of the iX is really interesting. It goes into the technical details behind the design, development, and construction of the iX. Very different from most normal reviews. Worth a watch if you have some spare time.

[Barry123]

If carbon filer is good enough for the Boeing 787, it's good enough for me in the iX

[Pictor]

Aluminum has been a big component of BMW's going back a number of years. I remember how big of a deal it was on the E39 (~1995-2003 era 5-series) where BMW made large suspension components out of Aluminum. That has continued to this day in just about all 5,6,7,8 series cars. The X5 also uses aluminum on most of it's panels excluding the A-Pillar and back to the rear quarter panel. CFRP and other plastics are also used heavily in both structural and non-structural parts. The 8-series has quite a bit too but none of these cars are lightweights.

As an aside, Land Rover's have traditionally used aluminum from the start because, supposedly, aluminum was plentiful in the UK after the war and steel was harder to come by. My old Land Rover only used steel on the door skins and the box frame.

Few body shops weld and opt to replace entire panels so aluminum is less of a concern. Given the long history of automobile manufactures using aluminum, I would probably pass on a body shop that didn't know how to work with it.

[FultonMDUSA]

Originally Posted by PinkNinja400Guy

Additionally, the SavageGeese review of the iX is really interesting. It goes into the technical details behind the design, development, and construction of the iX. Very different from most normal reviews. Worth a watch if you have some spare time.

Yup, I have been watching SavageGeese videos for a couple months now. Of course, virtually every vehicle they review seems to be a "compliance vehicle" and "disposable". Only if a vehicle's parts are made out of steel without too complicated tech do they deem it to be a long term keeper.

[Pictor]

Originally Posted by FultonMDUSA

Yup, I have been watching SavageGeese videos for a couple months now. Of course, virtually every vehicle they review seems to be a "compliance vehicle" and "disposable". Only if a vehicle's parts are made out of steel without too complicated tech do they deem it to be a long term keeper.

Sounds like the the same luddite arguments made when "computers" were introduced into cars.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with an Uber driver about how no one seems to want to hire COBOL devs anymore. Evolve or die.

[freshxdough]

The CFRP portions in the iX are to strengthen the aluminum/steel they are connected to. Not necessarily structural components.