In September last year, BMW revealed the Vision Neue Klasse concept as a preview of all cars to come, whether electric or powered by combustion. The first vehicle to be produced under the new design language and on the new platform will be a Neue Klasse SUV, expected to launch in 2025. A year after that will be the subject of today’s spy shots, a Neue Klasse sedan expected to revive the BMW i3 nameplate (which is still alive in well in China as an electric version of the current 3 Series).
Keeping Things Classy
BMW’s design choices have been heavily criticized since the Chris Bangle era, and although the automaker will never please everyone, these spy shots indicate that the next glut of Bimmers to be revealed will follow a restrained course of styling that brings simplicity and elegance back to the fore while evolving key BMW styling elements. While the concept’s styling was always going to be toned down slightly for production, the overall shape of the body is much the same.
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And although we can’t yet see if BMW intends for the front kidney grille elements to be fully illuminated like the concept, the familial resemblance to that aesthetic – first seen on the i Vision Dee concept – is distinct. Speaking of distinction, BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk said last year that each new model will have unique kidney grille designs and shapes, something that was confirmed by the appearance of the Neue Klasse X Concept earlier this year.
Still A Long Way To Go
As we touched on at the outset, the Neue Klasse sedan will only arrive on the market in 2026. When it does get here, we expect to see things like the BMW Panoramic Vision full-width head-up display, a simpler cabin layout with less physical switchgear, and an 800-volt system. Battery capacities will be varied across Neue Klasse vehicles, with 75-, 90-, and 105-kWh packs confirmed. Our spies say the entry-level i3 models will arrive with at least 300 horsepower, but we know that BMW M is working on a system with as much as 1,340 hp.
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Towards the end of the decade, BMW may even be ready to apply its color-changing technology to production cars, but more noteworthy is that the Neue Klasse architecture can accommodate numerous powertrain types – pure combustion, hybrid, all-electric, or fuel-cell electric. We’re looking at what could be the most important car in BMW’s modern history, and the icing on the cake is that we don’t want to wash our eyes out with bleach.