Philipp Ackermann, the German Ambassador to India, has switched to Electric Vehicle (EV) and purchased an all-new BMW i7. Interestingly, Ackermann marked the occasion with Indian rituals and customs, tying nimbu-mirchi (lemon and chilli) to the new car and smashing a coconut. A video of Ackermann performing these rituals, believed to invite good luck and ward off evil, is going viral on social media.
It was shared by ANI on the social media site X. #WATCH | Delhi: German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann switches to EV (electric vehicle); ties 'nimbu-mirchi' to his car and smashes a coconut on the occasion. pic.
twitter.com/OojZh4Nvx3 — ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2024 “Germany and India are committed to a mutual partnership, which is called the partnership agreement to sustainable development,” Ackermann told the news agency. He highlighted how pollution during the winter time gets ‘really bad’ in the national capital.
“I felt that we should make a contribution to reduce pollution. I wanted to have an EV and that is why my HQ accepted after a while that we get a new car which is an e-car and therefore reduces pollution. That was the main aim,” he said.
BMW i7: Key features The fully electric luxury sedan is available at an ex-showroom price of ₹1.95 crore in India. It is the electric version of the BMW 7 Series and is manufactured outside India.
It is powered by two electric motors, each located on the axle. It is capable of delivering an astonishing 544 horsepower and a torque of 745 Nm. The vehicle can swiftly go on from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 4.
7 seconds and has a maximum speed of 239 km/h, as per the company. The BMW i7 comes with a 101.7 kWh lithium-ion battery that allows it to cover anywhere between 591 to 625 km on the WLTP cycle.
It supports charging up to 11 kW on AC systems as well as 195 kW on DC systems. The rapid charging facility available in it allows the vehicle to go from 10% to 80% in just 34 minutes on a fast charge. Besides this, the vehicle also comes with several advanced technological features inside.
It boasts a sleek curved display, which includes a 14.9-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch instrument cluster that operates on the company's latest iDrive 8 system.
Customers get a 31.3-inch, 8K 'theatre' screen that is mounted on the roof, offering a cinematic experience to rear passengers via Amazon Fire TV..
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Watch | German envoy brings home all-new BMW i7, ties 'nimbu-mirchi' to it and smashes coconut
On buying the new vehicle, Philipp Ackermann noted that Germany and India are "committed to a mutual partnership, which is called the partnership agreement to sustainable development".