February 8, 2025
BMW Gives Biggest Ever Preview of New Klasse Electric Future at IAA Mobility

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BMW was one of the pioneers of EVs with the i3 and has been making an electric comeback over the past few years with a whole slew of new models. But the company has much more in store for an electrified sustainable automotive future. At the IAA mobility show in Munich, BMW unveiled its Vision Neue Klasse, showcasing the design and technology it claims will go into production within a few years.

The Vision Neue Klasse brings together two concepts that BMW has been working on for the past few years. The BMW i Vision Circular was about a sustainable production lifecycle. The BMW i Vision D was all about design and the human experience. The BMW Vision New Class combines these two in a package that the company describes as “electrical, digital, circular”. BMW has been focusing on supply chain sustainability for some time now, but of course it is also a luxury performance carmaker, so design and core technology are also paramount.

The Neue Klasse name is reminiscent of the original BMW Neue Klasse from the 1960s, and should probably be called the New Neue Klasse. BMW is hoping it will be as key as the strategy that gave birth to the 1800 and the legendary 2002. Electrification is at the core this time, with no internal combustion version, but BMW has also incorporated ideas from its iVision circular concept, such as a design it considers the car at the end of its life. The how will be dismantled and extensive use of recycled materials will be made, plus there will be no leather or chrome in the interior. I particularly like the apparent recycled exterior trim on the prototype, which makes it a feature to be proud of rather than hidden from view.

Its design is very similar to i Vision Dee. It’s stripped down to the BMW essence, with a modern spin on some of the best features of the past and an end to the recent developments that have faced so much criticism. The classic BMW kidney grille has taken a far more aesthetic direction than the beaver teeth of the current production model. Both halves of the kidney have been widened to fill the entire front and now include lights and a digital screen called Physital. It can communicate information and even track you around the car when you move to open the driver’s door.

There is a strip of E Ink on the edge that can also communicate information. BMW has shown entire vehicles covered with E Ink, which somewhat resembles the E Reader screen technology. It can dynamically change the pattern and color of the car’s exterior. With the Vision Neue Klasse, this helps communicate things like where to move your hand to open the door, which has a haptic system so you don’t have to touch anything to unlock the catch.

The overall shape of the new car is much less angular than recent BMW models, with a flowing cabin and curved corners. The side profile oddly echoes the Alfa Romeo 166. Thanks to a structural battery (where the cells are incorporated into the chassis) and skateboard configuration, the cab starts much further forward than on current BMW vehicles, providing more interior space.

Talking about the interior, the main headline is the new iDrive system which BMW claims “connects the real and the virtual world”. This is a new integration of the user interface from the steering wheel to the infotainment screen and BMW Panoramic Vision, a heads-up-display that is projected across the entire width of the windscreen. Passengers and the driver can interact with this display, moving elements from the central screen to the panoramic vision with one gesture. It also features BMW’s excellent HUD, which includes 3D elements to provide important information to the driver without the need to look away from the road ahead. This is augmented by Alexa-powered voice controls. Elements of this will also be available in non-New Klasse BMWs, which will use the same core software and hardware computation platforms, which are now Android-based at their core as well as at the user interface level.

At the IAA Mobility 2023 launch, BMW focused heavily on the new user interface capabilities of the new Klasse and the new MINI Electric. But there will also be a big step up in the underlying powertrain. The new Class will be based on BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive technology, which the company claims will offer 30% more range, 30% faster charging and 25% more efficiency. It includes the sixth generation battery with 20% higher density. However, no specific range or battery capacity figures were announced for the Vision New Klasse.

Dr. Mike Reichelt, Senior Vice President of New Class at BMW, told me that it will be an 800V platform, which will provide faster charging and greater efficiency. It would be battery chemistry agnostic. Initially this will use current NMC cells, but LFP may well appear in the future as will other emerging chemistries. Vehicle to Grid (V2G) will also be supported, where the vehicle can return energy through its charging port and power a home or can also be said to have storage capacity to smooth out erratic power generation Is.

The Vision New Klasse was launched with great ceremony and drama. It looks incredible, the user interface tech is impressive, and BMW clearly wanted to emphasize how important it will be to the company’s future. Of course, the first question everyone asks about concept cars is “will it go into production”. Oliver Zipse, chairman of the board of directors of BMW, claimed that production on cars based on the new Klasse would begin in 2025, in line with previous statements. Although the prototype won’t be exactly the same as the one that goes on sale — it lacks everyday essentials like cupholders, door pockets and adjustable seats — BMW said a shipping car will look a lot like the prototype.

The Vision New Class will become the new 3-Series class vehicle, and an X3-sized “Sports Activity Vehicle” (BMW’s version of the crossover SUV) was also teased at the show at IAA Mobility 2023. But Dr. Reichelt tells me there will be at least six new vehicles based on the platform. Other than SAVs, he wasn’t saying anything about what these would be, except that they would range from compact to upper-midsize and luxury, but when I suggested a Touring (estate car/station wagon) version So there is no denial. If BMW can deliver on what it promised at the time of its launch, it could be a very exciting era for the company’s cars.

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