The first model to kickstart BMW’s Neue Klasse era will be the all-new iX3, which is set to make its debut at the upcoming IAA Mobility show in Munich next month. In a recent release focusing on the start of series production of the electric drive systems that will go into Neue Klasse models, the German carmaker revealed the iX3 50 xDrive will be the upcoming iX3’s first variant.
Full specifications will only be provided on debut day, but the iX3 50 xDrive with its eDrive Gen6 electric drive system is claimed to offer significant improvements over the Gen5-powered iX3. “Energy loss is reduced by 40%, costs by 20% and weight by 10%. All this makes a significant contribution to the approximately 20% increase in overall vehicle efficiency”, explains Martin Kaufmann, SVP of global powertrain development at BMW AG.
On the main purpose of the release, BMW says the eDrive Gen6 system is the first fully-electric drivetrain to be produced at its Steyr site in Austria. Between the project launch in 2022 and 2030, BMW is investing over one billion euros (about RM4.9 billion) to expand development and production expertise for electric drive systems at the Steyr location.
The facility will manufacture the rotor, stator, transmission and inverter found in the integrated eDrive system, while the housing for the electric motor will be cast at the company’s Landshut plant in Germany. Electric drive components from Steyr will be assembled on two news lines and follow the principle of a modular system, enabling greater flexibility when dealing with different powertrain configurations.
The second-generation iX3 with the Gen6 system is said to enable a range of up to 800 km following the WLTP standard. Thanks to an 800-volt electrical architecture, it supports DC fast charging up to 400 kW and can gain over 350 km of range with just 10 minutes of charging.
GALLERY: 2026 BMW iX3 prototype
GALLERY: BWM eDrive Gen6 series production at Plant Steyr
The new BMW iX3 has a lot of weight on its shoulders, as the first of a new line of Neue Klasse EVs that will come to define a new era for the Ultimate Driving Machine. Thankfully, then, new details coming from Munich indicate that the SUV, polarising as it will be, will set new standards for the brand.
Bearing the codename NA5 (has BMW run out of letters already?), the second-generation model will feature the carmaker’s Gen6 motors and battery packs, the latter utilising cylindrical cells with a 20% higher energy density compared to the outgoing prismatic units. These cells are installed directly into the pack rather than assembled into modules first and form an integral part of the car’s structure.
This, along with the more efficient motors, will result in a significant boost in range, up from a fairly average 461 km to a whopping 800 km. That range will be replenished faster, too, thanks to an 800-volt electrical architecture enabling up to 400 kW of DC fast charging support. So equipped, users can gain over 350 km of range with just ten minutes of charging. And in a slap in the new Mercedes-Benz CLA‘s face, BMW added that “charging at 400-volt DC charging stations will, of course, still be possible.”
Helping to make charging more convenient is a charging port door that automatically opens if it senses an intention to charge, then closing once charging is finished. This is partly AI-powered – it will open upon approaching a familiar or learned charging station.
The new iX3 will also incorporate a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function at up to 3.7 kW in Europe, along with bidirectional charging, vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G), potentially helping to reduce energy costs. Complementing these features is a new DC home wallbox that can charge and discharge the car at up to 19.2 kW depending on the market.
As previously reported, the iX3 will make use of a new chassis central computer called the Heart of Joy, a “superbrain” that integrates the powertrain, brakes, recuperation and steering sub-functions, in concert with the Dynamic Performance Control software.
This system processes information up to ten times faster than previous systems, allowing for fewer necessary control inputs and greater precision and directional stability. As such, the car will corner more consistently and can be steered more intuitively. Regenerative braking now works right down to a standstill – in fact, BMW says the car will not need to touch the friction brakes in 98% of deceleration cases.
The improvements also extend to driver assistance, with the latest sensor, software, processor and mobile broadband technology headed by a “Superbrain of Automated Driving” with a 20% faster processing speed. Standard kit includes blind spot monitoring, stop sign and wrong-way detection, a door opening warning and an Assisted View showing surrounding vehicles and pedestrians in the instrument display.
A new motorway assistant with automatic lane change will be offered as an option, building on the existing adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist by enabling highway hands-off semi-autonomous driving, even when switching highways. City Assistant does the same in urban areas, providing steering support through tight turns and roundabouts; it can even stop and start the car at traffic lights.
The iX3 will also debut a world’s first cooperative braking function, which lets drivers brake lightly without disabling the adaptive cruise control entirely. Meanwhile, there are new AI-powered park assist functions including improved parking space recognition and manoeuvre planning, with users now gaining access to more 360-degree camera views to avoid dinging the car while parking.
We’ve also previously detailed the new Panoramic iDrive display concept that will make its debut on the iX3, featuring a new rhomboid-shaped mini-LED infotainment touchscreen and the headlining full-width Panoramic Vision that spans from A-pillar to A-pillar. There’s also an optional 3D head-up display and a “Shy-tech” multifunction steering wheel with hidden-until-lit capacitive buttons and active haptic feedback.
The whole shebang will run on the new BMW Operating System X, which will come with “extensive customisability, intelligent support for the driver and extensive software updates.” The company promises a “well-balanced” mix of physical and digital (i.e. touchscreen) controls, in line with its new motto of “Hands on the Wheel, Eyes on the Road.”
The Panoramic iDrive display concept coming to the iX3
As is the trend these days, AI will permeate every aspect of the new iX3, including the improved Intelligent Personal Assistant voice control. More powerful BMW Cloud computing will also enable new smart features that will be added via over-the-air updates over time.
The new NA5 BMW iX3 will be revealed at the Munich Motor Show in September, with production kicking off at a new plant in Debrechen, Hungary at the end of the year.
BMW has teased prototypes of the next-generation iX3 undergoing hot weather testing in South Africa ahead of the electric SUV’s reveal later this year. Previewed by last year’s Vision Neue Klasse X concept, the all-new iX3 will usher in the brand’s Gen6 eDrive and iDrive X technologies.
The upcoming iX3, which is internally codenamed NA5, will reportedly be longer and wider than its predecessor. Despite the heavy camouflage, the prototype pictured appears to feature many of the design cues seen on the concept. These include angular wheel arches and a familiar light signature at the front, while the flush door handles are additions for the production version.
BMW has already confirmed that Neue Klasse models will be equipped with an 800V electrical architecture as well as batteries that charge 30% faster and provide 30% more range. The battery pack will also serve as a structural component (pack-to-open-body) and the new cylindrical cells with 20% greater energy density will be integrated directly (cell-to-pack) in the housing of the high-voltage battery.
The Gen6 power unit will feature an electrically excited synchronous motor (EESM) for the rear axle, while xDrive models add an asynchronous motor (ASM) on the front axle that is said to be more compact and cost efficient.
World, say hello to the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X. This new design concept directly previews the next-generation iX3 electric SUV (or SAV if you insist on BMW parlance), which is set to enter production in 2025. If that still sounds like some time away, let us remind you that that’s actually next year!
For now, this is still a concept, but according to the head of BMW i Design, Kai Langer, if he were to show his own mother the production version next to this show car, she would not be able to tell the two apart. So, we are led to believe that the actual 2025 iX3 will actually look very close to what you see here. We will believe it when we see it.
This is now the second Vision Neue Klasse concept, after the sedan version that was unveiled last year. Named after a pioneering series of models in the 1960s that effectively saved the BMW company from its post-war financial struggles, the pair is said to preview a “clear picture of the brand’s future.”
Despite its later debut, it is the X version that will enter production first – as the all-new iX3. The sedan will eventually evolve into the next-generation 3 Series in the following year. Beyond that, all of BMW’s core models will take cues – both in terms of styling and technology – from the Neue Klasse concepts. Just when we are only beginning to get used to the iX and i7 faces…
You are sure to notice that there are stark differences between the sedan and SUV concepts. According to Langer, the narrow and tall grille you see here will be exclusive to upcoming X SUV models, while future sedans will feature variations of the full-width kidney grilles. The former is meant to emphasise verticality and ruggedness, while the latter expresses width and dynamism.
It’s also no coincidence that the latest interpretation of the kidney grille bears a striking resemblance to iconic early BMW models such as the 2002, E21 and E30. The wide headlights that seamlessly merge into the grille are also modelled after the wide black frames from older BMWs. A major difference here is that any trace of chrome has been replaced with LED lighting – a step beyond the current Iconic Glow look.
A key design pillar of the Neue Klasse X is for it to appear entirely new, yet familiar. Speaking to the designers, they made it very clear the last thing they want is for it to be an overly futuristic, overdesigned concept that would look “too weird.” And while they did not outright say it, it wouldn’t be too far from the truth to imagine that the design brief simply read as “don’t pull a Mercedes EQ.”
Langer also added that the design team decided on a face that is handsome, but not necessarily aggressive. This look, remember, is meant to be the signifying look of BMWs that are to come in the foreseeable future, much like how the OG Neue Klasse (New Class) shaped how one thought a BMW should look for a few decades.
Moving to the side, the concept keeps the traditional two-box shape, despite this being an EV-only design. The bonnet is still positioned up high and stretched long enough to look like a conventional SUV, again avoiding the soap bar look of other electric models.
The designers also used up every trick in the book to preserve BMW’s usual cab-backward, rear-wheel drive proportions. If you look very closely you will notice the short dash to axle ratio, but taken as a whole, it very much carries a confident RWD profile, especially with the pronounced wheel arches.
Speaking of the body, the overall shape has an organic flair to it, almost with a bit of a sexy Italian vibe – in the flesh, at least.
Back to the design tricks, the door pillars are made to look slimmer than they actually are, while the exterior beltline is drawn lower than the inner door cards. The point is to have as much glass as possible, drawing more light into the warm-coloured interior.
This larger glasshouse, lower beltline concept is certainly noticeable on an SUV, but even more apparent on a sedan. In fact, the windowline on the Neue Klasse sedan was made to match the exact height of the E30 3 Series’s beltline, while the black line on the windows represent where the line would be on a conventional modern design.
The door handles on the X concept are small aero wingtips that stick out from the window line, but the production version will likely have more conventional pop-out handles that sit flush with the bodywork, maintaining the uninterrupted, monolithic design. The digital camera side mirrors are likely to go too, seeing that the interior doesn’t even have displays for them.
Also completely redesigned is the signature BMW Hoffmeister kink. Here, it’s further accented by a reflective paint within the quarter windows, while the actual window line is now angled to lead directly into the rear spoiler.
At the back, the taillights are wide, but not quite full width, again to avoid looking too generic. You’ll notice that the light clusters themselves no longer have an L shape like in classic BMW designs, instead relying on LED light graphics to achieve the iconic, familiar look. The BMW emblems meanwhile are actually engraved, on stuck on – cool but it’s not making mass production.
Inside, there’s an even more significant jump forward. The Vision Neue Klasse X eschews the traditional dashboard layout for a Tesla-style large screen-and-not-much-else design. Much like the American T-brand, the aircon vents are completely hidden here – no longer a prominent design element like before.
Unlike a Tesla however, there is, thankfully, a proper instrument cluster. The BMW Panoramic Vision spans the entre base of the windscreen, and is fully customisable via the large touchscreen unit. You can choose exactly what and where you want specific info to be displayed, all via a drag and drop interface. Better yet, the display is updated in real time, as soon as you make changes.
Having the entire instrument cluster set above the steering wheel also allows BMW to introduce a new wheel design, now with vertical spokes. We’ll have to wait and see if this will make production.
The centre touchscreen itself is now no longer angled towards the driver like in a typical BMW fashion. However, it is still driver focused with most major controls aligned closer to the driver, within easy reach.
Speaking of that, this concept car comes complete with signal stalks behind the steering wheel – not many show cars do! Clearly BMW is sending a message here: signal stalks will stay in BMWs for the forseeable future, instead of using buttons on the steering wheel like in Teslas. Whether BMW drivers will actually use them though, is a different story altogether of course.
All new is the Personal Sound Experience, with which the driver can actively change the sound the car makes as it’s driven via the HypersonX wheel. That’s certainly a silly name (BMW insists on writing it as HYPERSONX, no joke), but the feature itself is pretty cool.
The rear seats are better described as a sofa – they are extremely comfortable to sit on, even more so than the fantastic rear seats we’ve already seen on the latest BMW i7 and XM. But the bigger departure here is the mix of bright colours and new materials. The use of soft fabric made of recycled materials actually feels good to the touch, and it even allows for a more elaborate integration of ambient lighting on the dashboard, through the weave.
Overall, the warm colours and textile finishes give a bit of a retro, old French car look and feel to the interior. In a good way of course.
In terms of technology, the Neue Klasse X SUV features the new sixth-generation BMW eDrive tech. It uses BMW’s first 800V electrical architecture, improving charging speed by 30%. BMW claims it can get 300 km of range in just 10 minutes of charging.
Together with new, higher density round battery cells, 20% less aero drag and better overall efficiency, the car will have 30% more total range compared to current models. Plant Debrecen in Hungary where the production iX3 will be made will also become the very first BMW manufacturing site ever to run entirely on fossil-free energy.
Beyond being more sustainable and circular, the Neue Klasse is also designed to be more dynamic than ever. It will feature four totally new “super-brains” or high performance computers for “more dynamic performance, more precision, more efficiency and even more fun to drive.” In the company’s own words, the car will “redefine the BMW brand” and be “more BMW than ever.”
Marketing hyperbole aside, what do you really think of the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X, and do you believe the production iX3 will look even remotely close to this? Comment below!
