Safety cars are an essential part of nearly all motorsport competition, and BMW has been a long-time supplier of these vehicles for various championships across the globe, including MotoGP and Formula E. The automaker’s latest iteration is the BMW i4 M50 Safety Car, which will debut at the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Austria at the Red Bull Ring on 15th August for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup.

The fully electric i4 M50 will replace the previous i8 safety car for the crucial role at MotoE, which is the electric motorcycle series that serves as a supporting programme of MotoGP. As the very first fully electric performance car from BMW M GmbH, the i4 M50 is powered by an electric motor on both the front and the rear axles. With a total output of 544 hp and the M-specific chassis technology, driving dynamics is a key area of development for the i4 M50. It’s worth noting that the emotional driving experience – a proud characteristic of all M cars – of the fully electric car hasn’t forgotten, as the drive sound of the vehicle has been specifically developed to be something a little more satisfying than the usual muted whine.

What’s more exciting is the fact that the production version of the four-door Gran Coupé will be launched in November this year. Until then, we can look forward to the i4 M50’s world premiere at the racetrack later this month.