BMW is engaged on its next-generation electrical automobile platform—code-named Neue Klasse, German for “New Class”—and the primary mannequin spawned from the platform will arrive in 2025.

Will probably be a sedan in the identical phase because the 3-Collection. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse described the Imaginative and prescient Neue Klasse idea unveiled throughout final week’s 2023 Munich auto present as a detailed illustration of it.

The sedan shall be adopted by 5 extra Neue Klasse EVs in fast succession. They may arrive over the area of simply 24 months and a minimum of certainly one of them shall be an SUV in the identical phase because the X3, Zipse has beforehand confirmed. It is potential among the different EVs shall be totally different variations of the preliminary sedan and SUV, corresponding to a wagon or coupe-like SUV.

In an interview with Autocar revealed on Tuesday, BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk stated the fast tempo of the mannequin introductions means there shall be extra design overlap in comparison with current fashions in BMW’s lineup.

Adrian van Hooydonk

“Since they are going to are available in such quick succession, you will notice a robust overlap, maybe stronger than if you do a complete mannequin technology in 10 years, which is what we used to do,” he stated. “Two years is not a protracted time period, so it would seem as if they’ve grown collectively just a little extra—however you’ll nonetheless acknowledge particular person characters.”

The Neue Klasse platform is being developed from the onset for electrical powertrains, and to be versatile sufficient for engineers to differ the wheelbase size to suit a wide range of physique kinds. Automobiles primarily based on the platform can even tackle a extra aerodynamic design to assist maximize vary. Consequently, proportions will differ from the previous, not just for aerodynamics but additionally to spice up inside area, one thing we have already seen with the Imaginative and prescient Neue Klasse idea.

The platform can even use BMW’s sixth-generation electrical motor and battery expertise, which guarantees improved energy and effectivity. The battery will function a brand new cylindrical cell design (as an alternative of the present prismatic cell design), and along with different enhancements ought to lead to a vary enchancment of 30% over BMW’s present batteries.

BMW i Imaginative and prescient Round and that i Imaginative and prescient Dee ideas

The primary Neue Klasse automobile shall be constructed at a plant below development in Debrecen, Hungary, beginning in 2025. Neue Klasse autos can even be constructed at current BMW crops in Munich, Germany, and Shenyang, China, beginning in 2026, and in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, beginning in 2027.

Earlier ideas, corresponding to 2021’s i Imaginative and prescient Round and this yr’s i Imaginative and prescient Dee, previewed among the sustainability measures and expertise destined for the Neue Klasse autos however aren’t thought to instantly preview any particular mannequin. The measures will embrace elevated use of recycled components, head-up shows spanning the windshield, and automatic driver-assist options ranging as much as Degree 3 on the SAE scale of self-driving functionality. Degree 3 means a automobile that permits hands-off, eyes-off operation in particular circumstances, however requires the motive force to be able to take again management at a second’s discover.

The Neue Klasse designation was first utilized by BMW for a collection of coupes and sedans launched within the Nineteen Sixties, which helped the automaker rise from the depths of huge monetary challenges and set up the fame for sporty and trendy govt automobiles that BMW nonetheless depends on at present. The brand new Neue Klasse technology is anticipated to mark an analogous vital shift for the corporate.