Here’s Our Best Look Yet At The Future Electric BMW 3 Series

Over the past few years, it’s become obvious that the entire world is not going all-electric next decade, but that doesn’t mean EV development isn’t important. From the convenience of charging at home if you live in single-family housing to the quietness of the drive, there are plenty of reasons why people love electric cars, and the market’s only going to get more interesting. For a variety of reasons, the Tesla Model 3 is in a precarious spot right now, and everyone’s looking to steal its lunch money. Case in point: BMW just showed off something called the Vision Driving Experience, and it looks like a camouflaged, widebody preview of the incoming Neue Klasse sedan, effectively an electric 3 Series.

The big announcement here concerns something BMW calls the “Heart of Joy,” which is essentially an all-in-one vehicle control module that handles the powertrain, braking, steering assistance, stability control, and charging. Essentially, it handles everything that makes the Neue Klasse platform go, turn, and stop. While this sort of integration has the potential to cut cost, it also has the potential to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, having one high-level module consolidates failure points, which means if it goes out, a lot of functions could get taken out with it. On the other, this consolidation could result in faster powertrain response, more nuanced stability control intervention, and some unique tricks in the toolbox for spirited driving.

While BMW claims the Vision Driving Experience isn’t slated for production, it also claims that it makes 13,269 lb.-ft. of torque. Knowing this figure is almost certainly measured at the wheels rather than the motors, and knowing that the styling follows a trajectory laid out for the Neue Klasse sedan, this is our closest look at the incoming electric 3 Series yet, so why don’t we break it down?

The styling on display here seems like a muscled-up take on what we’ve previously seen on the i Vision Dee concept car of 2023 and the Vision Neue Klasse concept. Sure, the fenders on this prototype are massively flared and each valence sticks out like a pouting bottom lip, but the basics are mostly here, just expect a more grounded execution from the production model.

Let’s start with the short dash-to-axle ratio that really bucks BMW tradition. The base of the windshield is much closer to the centerline of the front axle than on a regular BMW 3 Series, and while this sort of packaging makes sense for a dedicated EV architecture, it’s still a marked departure from BMW tradition. Another trait carried over is how the beltline sits below the base of the windshield, no doubt to accommodate the new panoramic view infotainment system while also potentially sharing a firewall module between crossovers and sedans. The traditional roofline appears to pretty much be a carryover of what we saw on the Vision Neue Klasse, but look a bit closer at this prototype and you’ll see some markedly different details.

Zooming in on the greenhouse, it seems to gain a few important feasibility measures. The big change from previous concepts is the addition of actual side view mirrors, but look a bit closer and things run deeper. The B-pillar is much thicker than on either previous show car, as it’ll need to be for side impact protection. What’s more, the shape of the rear door glass has been massaged again for practical reasons. Rear windows need to roll down, and it seems that BMW is using a blanking plate to facilitate this key function. While camouflage hides the ultimate silhouette of the greenhouse, I’d be surprised if it changed a whole lot beyond this for Neue Klasse sedan production.

Then there’s the elephant in the room: the taillight and trunk lid treatment. Instead of falling away from the car, the trunk lid kicks up with a sort of ducktail, and BMW’s taken the exceedingly odd measure of putting the taillights in the ducktail. Needless to say, the end result is weird as it makes the rear end look disproportionately tall, thanks to a ton of surface area between the bottom of the tail lights and the diffuser element in the bumper.

Anyway, expect to see the production-spec Neue Klasse sedan make an official debut by the end of next year, as BMW’s C-segment electric SUV will be first to the punch on this new platform. While that crossover will likely make up the bulk of sales, enthusiasts are still looking forward to the all-electric 3 Series.

Top graphic image: BMW

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