BMW once built arguably the best electric city car on earth, and while the automaker’s EV offerings have since arrived a bit more slowly than some might like, it looks like things are about to be shaken up a little. And this – the “The BMW Vision Neue Klasse” — might be the first look at what that shake-up will look like. BMW is making a lot of promises with what seems like less of “just a concept car” and more of “the next chapter for the company” and the debut of a new 800 volt architecture.
Read BMW’s press release, and you’ll hear what you typically hear when an automaker shows off a new concept car — basically, this is what the future looks like. Here it is from BMW itself:
With its lates design concept, the BMW Vision Neue Klasse, BMW is showcasing what the next generation of its vehicles will look like.
Oftentimes, this really doesn’t mean a whole lot, but sometimes it does. BMW’s i3 Concept ended up being quite close to the production car, and the way BMW is framing this new “Neue Klasse” tells me it might actually be a decent look at what’s to come from the Bavarian brand. I mean, there’s even a manufacturing plant associated with this concept. Here it is from BMW itself:
“With the Neue Klasse, we have embarked on the biggest investment in the company’s history. We are not just writing the next chapter of BMW; we’re writing a whole new book. That’s why the Neue Klasse will certainly impact all model generations.”
[…]
Manufactured at the new plant in Debrecen entirely without fossil fuels and with much wider use of raw and secondary materials produced with reduced CO2, the Neue Klasse will also provide significant impetus for resource-efficient individual mobility. High energy efficiency during the vehicle use phase will be ensured by optimizing weight, air and rolling resistance, as well as through intelligent heat management, especially for the electric drivetrain, using sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology.
In addition to highly efficient electric motors, major advances in the new BMW eDrive technology include newly-developed round battery cells, with more than 20% higher energy density than that of the prismatic cells used previously. The sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology will improve the charging speed for Neue Klasse models by up to 30%, in addition to boosting their range by up to 30%. As a result of all these measures, overall vehicle efficiency will increase by up to 25%.
Per Inside EVs, Neue Klasse represents the debut of an entirely new 800-volt platform that uses cylindrical cells. From the EV-focused site:
BMW has already said that Neue Klasse EVs will use newly developed Gen 6 cylindrical cells that are expected to improve energy density by more than 20 percent, charging speed by more than 30 percent and range by 30 percent compared to the carmaker’s current battery technology.
The cells will also be 50 percent cheaper to build and installed straight into the battery pack, eliminating the module layer. BMW said the cells will use a nickel-based chemistry with reduced cobalt content, but Zipse also promised additional battery technologies.
[…]
In November 2022, BMW revealed some key specs of the 800-volt Neue Klasse platform to Car Magazine, including outputs ranging from 268 horsepower to 1,341 horsepower, RWD and AWD configurations with up to four electric motors, batteries ranging from 75 kWh to 150 kWh, and a driving range of up to 621 miles (1,000 kilometers).
Which Cars Is This “Neue Klasse” Foreshadowing?
Clearly this isn’t “just a concept,” and if you want an opinion from someone way more qualified than I am, you should read some words from my friend and BMW expert Horatio Boeriu over at BMW Blog. His article discusses the six models that this new concept car might be previewing:
Today, BMW unveiled the Vision Neue Klasse, a concept car that previews a new design language and technology. Although BMW has not officially confirmed it as the future 3 Series electric (i3), there is very little doubt about that. The first-ever Neue Klasse electric vehicle is scheduled for 2025, but it won’t be the i3.
He predicts that the first Neue Klasse model will be a crossover. From the BMW-guru:
Our sources indicate that the iX3 electric crossover will take center stage as the first Neue Klasse model. The new iX3, with the chassis code NA5, will enter production in Debrecen in the summer of 2025.
Then comes the new i3 (which should look like the concept we see here), Boeriu predicts:
The Neue Klasse-based 3 Series electric will be called the BMW i3 and will arrive in 2026. Clearly, it will be largely based on the Vision Neue Klasse concept we saw today.
I don’t want to steal Boeriu’s thunder, so I’ll let you read the rest of the list on his site, but suffice it to say: This concept car actually means something for BMW as a brand. And those efficiency/charging claims are no joke. BMW is making big promises.
BMW Going Up Against Tesla
Reuters does a good job of putting this vehicle into context, referencing the old BMW “Neue Klasse,” and how it got BMW out of a pickle:
During the early 1960s, BMW (BMWG.DE) was a struggling enterprise with an uncertain future, overshadowed by Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) and the giants of Detroit.
The company’s leaders put all their chips behind a new car they called the “Neue Klasse,” or “new class.” Launched in 1962 as the BMW 1800, the Neue Klasse set the German automaker on course to become “the ultimate driving machine” company and one of the most successful brands in any industry.
[Editor’s Note: The original Neue Klasse was BMW’s big bet on its future existence. With styling by Wilhelm Hofmeister (he’s where the Hofmeister Kink comes from), it launched as the four-door 1500 model with a 1.5-liter M10 four-cylinder engine, semi-trailing arm rear suspension, and front disc brakes, it was the predecessor to the 5 Series. A coupe followed in 1965, and the famous 02 Series followed in 1966 built on cut-down Neue Klasse underpinnings. Needless to say, this car was a huge deal. It also helped that German carmaker Borgward, known for its midsize Isabella, entered liquidation in 1961, effectively opening up a hole in the market big enough for BMW to slot several hundred thousand sedans through. — TH]
The publication says BMW is yet again at a crossroads, and the new “Neue Klasse” represents a vision to end up on the other side of those crossroads victorious. A big part of this means competing with newcomers, especially Tesla (Tesla being a newcomer only in relative terms). From Reuters:
“We want to make this vehicle generation so modern that it looks like we skipped one generation,” BMW Chief Designer Adrian van Hooydonk said. “That is necessary because of those new players that are coming in. You know the debate that’s been going on: Oh, traditional OEM (manufacturer) over 100 years old, can you make this step? We can and we want to.”
The story goes on:
BMW’s new compact models will enter a competitive segment where Tesla has started a price war. BMW has not announced prices for the Neue Klasse.
“It will be a very competitive offer,” Chief Executive Oliver Zipse told reporters ahead of the show. “We will not price ourselves out of this market.”
Tesla has also redrawn the business model around the vehicle – selling directly to customers, using over-the-air software upgrades to add features and constantly capturing vehicle data to improve driver assistance and other features.
“There is a multi faceted transformation that needs to take place” for established automakers such as BMW, said Evangelos Simoudis, a Silicon Valley venture capital investor and expert on vehicle software strategies.
Neue Klasse vehicles will be powered by 48-millimeter-diameter cylindrical batteries in different lengths. The batteries are similar in size and shape to those Tesla plans to use in its Cybertruck and other models.
The User Interface Seems…Odd
You may notice in the interior a lack of buttons. Most car folks that I know don’t like this, but here’s what BMW has in mind:
Analogue operating controls have been reduced to a minimum in the BMW Vision Neue Klasse. Human-car interaction takes place through the BMW Panoramic Vision, the Central Display, and multifunction buttons on the steering wheel. The user experience is rounded out by the sophisticated voice control of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. In this way, the next generation of BMW iDrive offers a modern interpretation of the driver orientation typical of BMW.
As it did with the introduction of the BMW iDrive controller in the center console and the BMW Head-Up Display, BMW is once again leading the world with BMW Panoramic Vision, which will be available for the first time in the Neue Klasse. Information is projected at the ideal height into the driver’s line of sight and, for the first time, across the entire width of the windscreen. This innovation will complement the enhanced BMW Head-Up Display in the production models of the Neue Klasse.
In the next generation of BMW iDrive, both the driver and front passenger are able to interact with information displayed on BMW Panoramic Vision, creating a shared user experience. Drivers can move content shown on the Central Display to the BMW Panoramic Vision with a simple gesture.
“BMW Panoramic vision”— basically a gigantic head-up display on the windshield. Per Reuters, this wasn’t exactly easy to develop, with the technology apparently having fairly significant implications at the platform level. From Reuters:
Developing the large-scale windshield displays has not been easy, Durach said in an interview. “It goes deep into the overall architecture of the car. You get rid of the instrument cluster, you do your steering wheels in a different way.”
[Editor’s Note: Don’t let the glitz and glamor fool you, BMW Panoramic Vision is still an instrument cluster of sorts. This high-mounted instrument cluster may sound strange, but Honda found success with a similar concept in the 2006 Civic. Given how the concept’s greenhouse sits substantially lower than its cowl, expect the top of the display to be essentially level with the hood. The bottom line? This isn’t entirely unlike anything we’ve seen before. — TH]
What Do You Think?
As for my thoughts on how what might be the future electric 3 Series (i3) looks? Though BMW says the design “embodies a clear design language, with expansive surfaces and a just a few distinctive lines, that has been pared down to the essentials” and that “This approach accentuates signature features like the BMW kidney grille and the Hofmeister kink of the side window graphic, giving the design even more of a BMW feel,” I’m not sure I’d say this is that BMW-ish of a design. That Hofmeister Kink looks awfully sharp, and that kidney grille doesn’t look that kidney-ish. The whole thing is a bit edgy and blocky; I agree with the second part of this quote from BMW, particularly the “monolithic” bit:
Powerful wheel arches, the inset greenhouse, and steeply forward-slanting “shark nose” front end are all characteristic BMW features. 21-inch aerodynamic wheels pay tribute to the classic cross-spoke design inspired by motorsports. At the same time, the almost monolithic vehicle body, with strong indentations at the front and rear, as well as large window areas, create a new aesthetic.
I like the greenhouse; in general, I find glass to be beautiful, so I tend to prefer as much of it as possible. I like the colorful, airy-looking interior; I’d love some physical switches, but design-wise, I’m liking what I see in that cabin. I’m curious to hear what you, dear readers, think.
All Images: BMW
Am I correct? This car has windows that even the passengers can see out of? Hoorah!!!
I like it, exterior-wise. The interior looks like I am shopping at Pier 1 Imports. Replace the interior with the interior from the recent Mercedes CLA concept. And you have a winner.
I neither love nor hate the look of it. If anything it’s somewhat restrained compared to a lot of what BMW is putting out these days and I’m just happy it doesn’t have the ridiculous grilles. That being said, if BMW is going to give us a legitimate Model 3 competitor you can color me very intrigued.
I spent a lot of the day yesterday driving around my dad’s new X5 50e, and while it isn’t a full EV it did give me an appetizer for what electrified BMWs are all about, and I have to say I’m thoroughly impressed. The technology is a little overwhelming at first but once you get used to it it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be.
But what really impressed me was the all electric driving. I assumed the car would be a dog in electric mode but it wasn’t at all. I drove about 30 miles in EV mode (this was my first EV experience) on country roads and I was never wanting for more power, and as much as I love a good auditory driving experience (I daily a car that farts after all) there is something very cool about cruising around in complete silence. Plus with the M sport package goodies it actually handled really well for such a boat and the steering is nice and precise even if it’s not loaded with feel.
And when you switch it to sport mode and combine the batteries AND B58? DEAR GOD ALMIGHTY…the batteries give you a gut punch off the line, and by the time they’re out of thrust the straight 6 is in the meat of its power band and the car is reaching ludicrous speeds. I won’t comment on how fast I got it on a deserted backroad yesterday but it was alarming. The switch between gas and full electric is seamless as well.
It’s also hard to overstate how good BMW interiors are right now. The design elements are unique and cohesive and they almost flow together to create a visual experience that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Is it a bit show-ey? Sure, but as we move towards electrification manufacturers are going to need to get creative to make their experiences unique and I think Bimmer is approaching it in an artistic way.
Anyway, I think BMW is doing a lot better on the electrification assignment than a lot of their competitors, and I look forward to seeing where this technology goes. Whether or not I can be convinced to go full BEV in a few years remains to be seen, but one of their plug in hybrids will be high on my shopping list.
“(I daily a car that farts after all)”
Sure, blame the car.
That better have one hell of a frunk.
I’m agreeing that it’s a meh as far as the body goes, but seeing in the flesh is necessary to really know. I do see it as the sort of styling they probably “need” to do to make it look like a modern, high-end electric car. Not that they should do that. As for the interior, I really do want buttons.
The two most pressing worries I have are as follow:
Don’t worry, the BMW folks will not hesitate to combine those worries: they will charge you for a subscription to even attempt to resolve the horrific usability and reliability issues.
This a certainly better looking than current BMW models. A lot of the exterior feels close to a Polestar 2. That’s not bad, but it does feel derivative.
While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, that sedan is indeed pretty striking; it’s rather reminiscient of both the Nissan IDx concept car & the BMW 507 (Elvis had one!) Those two, particularly the latter, are lovely designs.
BMW is just joining the average BMW owner. Most are half finished projects that sit ideally on a lawn somewhere. Why should BMW themselves be any different. They swear they’ll get around to designing the rest of it, get off their asses, moms!
This is horrible, worst car preview I have seen in years. BMW really doesn’t want to sell cars anymore. I saw on the drive they called this a simple and minimalist design and return for bmw, total joke. Like people haven’t been SCREAMING for more buttons, and these idiots just removed everything.
I’d rather drive the fucking cyber truck than this.
We keep criticising BMWs designs and saying things like “they must not want to sell cars any more”, but the long and short of it is that they ARE still selling their cars. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I don’t find any of BMWs cars attractive, nor have I ever really been much of a fan, but it’s clear some do, and it obviously doesn’t impact their function any.
As for the touchscreen revolution: I like a blended approach to a car’s UI, personally. I’m not as offended by the lack of buttons as many seem to be, though I do recognise the difficulties their omission raises. Like battery development for EVs, I’m sure there’ll be a further evolution and a technological solution to the problem.
I cant deny people are buying them, I guess I am hopeful people slow down and they get the message.
We just got a gmc yukon and I think they did a good job of the mix you are talking about. There are tons of settings and options in the infotainment and the speedometer screens. You can customize so much its been nice actually. On the other hand they also have hard buttons for all the basic stuff you need in a pinch, clearly labeled and easy to figure out. This bmw concept is just a screen and nothing else. Like you said there is work to be done and a solution found.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like seeing their hideous creations on the road either!
Think the best thing for the blended approach I’m talking about is to get a car from around 2016, like my wife’s VW Passat. It’s got CarPlay and a nifty LCD instrument display with a small degree of customisation, but the HVAC and on-wheel controls are still buttons. I know people have been super critical of more recent VW offerings, so I guess they stepped over the sweet spot.
“The user experience is rounded out by the sophisticated voice control…”
NOOOOOOOOOOPE
I can think of more fitting verbs there
marred
hampered
crippled
Anyone else?
On the positive side, it appears to be a car. With some seriously useful engineering underneath it. But otherwise…I feel nothing.
Would definitely like to hear Adrian’s opinion of the rainspout up front: will that pass pedestrian-impact standards? And, concept notwithstanding, wth is up with the dark line in front & rear windows that apparently defines the arc of the body? I’m not their target, but seems to me that if you have to draw it in, you’ve done something wrong: that’s an artificial flow. It should be implied well enough that you don’t actually draw it, no?
If this is a call-out to the original Neue Klasse, I have to say that Nissan did a much better job with the ‘New 510’ tease awhile back.
From the back it seems like a Fisker somehow. The front doesn’t line up with the design of the back. Curious to the new architecture, especially the charging speeds.
It’s hilarious that BMW has spent so much time putting out grotesque parodies of BMW design cues (and nowadays frequently don’t even bother doing that much, like the 4-Series Accord Coupe) that they can feed a bunch of early 2000s Ford concept cars into Stable Diffusion and feel it’s enough to elicit applause.
It’s a hell of a lot better than what they’re putting out right now, which ain’t saying a whole lot, but I think it’s really going to depend on how they develop the concept. I’m not encouraged that the first iteration’s going to be a crossover, and that interior is a hard no, but I really do like it a lot better than their current line and I’m interested to see it actualized.
I strongly disagree. I don’t like their current lineup either, but this is dog shit.
Well I guess that settles it, then
ha! I’ll retire for the day.
Front: meh
Side: meh
Back: eh, I guess
Inside: lol
I guess it’s better than what they’re making now.
Looks like a low res Alfa Romeo 166 to me. I don’t hate it, and would argue it’s the best looking BMW since the i3/8, incredibly low bar though that is. Might turn out to be one of those rarities where the production version looks better than the concept.
Can we have a design breakdown by Adrian please?
Feels like a modern rendition of a seventies Peugeot 504 coupe – nothing wrong with that
Or indeed a BMW version of Peugeots own conceptual modern rendition of the 504 Coupe:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-paris-motor-show/peugeot-e-legend-concept-shown-paris
lovely
Nope. Crack pipe. NFW.
Interior looks like crap and that’s being kind.
Straight up fucking hard nope from me.
It doesn’t make me laugh when looking at it. That’s a step in the right direction
Beautiful car, beautiful promises. No doubt it will be great to drive. But how long can they sell these at how much of a loss? That’s the question asked of all of these companies. Except for one.
Uphill battle. Jury is out for another 15 years
It will be interesting if they can maintain that greenhouse and airy-feeling interior. After all, a lot of car design is really just about packaging.
Exterior isn’t ugly, grill and headlamps/taillamps are a bit fussy, but overall it’s fairly clean. I like seeing cloth seats come back, and corduroy is an underrated choice.
Interesting. We’ll see what comes of it.
Love corduroy, but I’m afraid a corduroy seat would leave me with a stripy bum.
Wear pants?
You can’t make me.
The general lines strongly remind me of the Dodge Challenger, a design I found too blocky to fully embrace. It just looks awkward to me. But like most vehicle design, it probably needs to be actually seen to be fully appreciated or disliked. As to the interior, heads up displays and MFDs are not my cup of tea. Driver attention spans and situational awareness are poor enough as it is and in a car, as opposed to say, combat aircraft, they are reduced to gadget status and tend to add to workload rather than reduce such. Driving is not a complex task and anything juxtaposed between the driver and their environment is not an aid to better driving. I think this is really the point, these controls are meant for an environment where the car does most of the driving. Human attention is more and more dedicated to entertainment and comfort. One thing is for sure, when I’m driving, I want no part of a “shared user experience” with my passenger(s).
I await the story on the 800V tech, as for the car you could have claimed it was the new Mercury Sable concept and I’d have believed you.
BMW has heard your concerns about the pig snout…
…Now it’s sideways!