Most car manufacturers will tell you that crossovers and SUVs are outselling sedans by significant margins in America. Consequently, we've had to say goodbye to several long-running models like the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Impala as automakers have been forced to scrap slower-selling sedans. BMW's latest electric vehicles, on the other hand, are bucking the trend. In a surprising revelation, the i4 Talk forum has discovered that demand for the i4, BMW's new electric sedan based on the 4 Series Gran Coupe, is much higher than the iX luxury SUV.

In fact, preorder numbers for the BMW i4 are more than double compared to the iX. In the US, BMW has reportedly received 2,095 reservations for the i4, while 952 people have placed a reservation for the iX.

In the western region, demand for the i4 is even higher, as the number of reservations is higher than the iX by a ratio of 4:1. These pre-order numbers won't cause any concern for Tesla, but this is still a strong start for the BMW i4 in America when you consider that the final production version of the electric sedan was only revealed last month.

But why is the i4 outselling the iX when US buyers typically favor SUVs over sedans? The price gap is likely a significant factor here. In the US, the BMW i4 starts at $55,400 for the entry-level, RWD eDrive40, while the AWD M50 will set you back $65,900.

The eDrive40 has a single electric motor producing 335 horsepower and an estimated range of 300 miles, whereas the M50's two electric motors generate a combined 536 hp. If performance is your priority, you'll have to sacrifice some range because the M50 has a lower estimated range of 240 miles. For comparison, the Tesla Model 3 starts at less than $40,000.

The BMW iX, on the other hand, has a higher starting price of $83,200, which is around the same as the Tesla Model X Long Range. In its xDrive50 guise, the iX has 516 hp and a range of around 300 miles, while the range-topping M60 is expected to have over 550 hp and will likely cost over $100,000. Customer deliveries for the i4 and iX will start in early 2022, so it will be interesting to see the sales figures when they become available.