BMW Vision Neue Klasse First Look: Bavaria's Next-Gen EVs Really Look Like This

The future of BMW has broken cover: The BMW Vision Neue Klasse concept is a study in what the next generation of BMW vehicles will look like, telegraphing the brand's transformation as it ushers in a new era.

The concept, the latest of which to precede the first Neue Klasse (New Class) vehicle in 2025, is making its public debut at the Munich auto show, complete with BMW's signature kidney grille and Hofmeister kink roof pillar treatment, but also with a new architecture, electric powertrain, and sixth-generation eDrive technology. The result: vehicles boasting 30 percent more range, 30 percent faster charging, and which are 25 percent more efficient. If it looks familiar, if something so different for a BMW could look familiar, it's because BMW already shopped this look earlier this year on the funkier i Vision Concept DEE.

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Look for at least six of these new EVs in the first 24 months. Expect an i3 sedan (likely looking like this 3 Series-ish concept) and iX3 SUV initially, likely followed by an iX5 midsize SUV in 2026, iX7 SUV in 2027, and  iX6 and iXM SUVs by the end of the decade.

BMW's Vision

The Vision concept is a sedan on a purpose-built architecture with short overhangs, an emphasis on the 21-inch wheels, and a new face with a distinctive light signature, says President of Designworks Holger Hampf.

Around the back of the car is a squared-off tail that angles down sharply with black composite plastic bumpers and funky rectangular taillights on each side. Neue Klasse will birth vehicles of different sizes and shapes, all with hard surfaces that intersect with sharp lines—reminiscent of the Neue Klasse 2002.

The new light signature is a departure for BMW, Hampf says, replacing chrome (and thus the number of parts) with lights and graphics around the car that have a wake-up routine to greet the driver. The look is less masculine, more elegant, and has a 3D quality. Hampf says it is not a response to pushback on the increasing size of the kidney grilles adorning various contemporary BMWs—it was just time to take a big step in another direction. Front double headlights are integrated with the kidneys and it create more room for sensors.

Yes, the concept has cameras for side mirrors and there are no door handles—sensors open the doors. The glass roof extends the length of the vehicle; it is laminated and might be tinted to integrate shading. The charging port is on the rear quarter panel on the driver's side.

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Clean Interior

Inside, the concept has four molded seats with futuristic headrests, striking gold corduroy fabric, ambient lighting, and seatbelts incorporated into the seat and B-pillar. There is Berber-like carpet on the black speckled composite plastic floor, and white Alcantara-like material on the doors and dash. Materials are sustainable and recyclable.

The single rectangular infotainment screen is in the middle of the dash to connect to the Panoramic screen and dictate what is shown on the windshield that can be seen by all four occupants.

Surprisingly, the shifter is still in the center console: a black bar that you push forward and back to the three positions. There is no room for glasses or phones or other objects in the concept's sparse console. The production car will add a center tunnel for cupholders and storage.

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iDrive of the Future

It is not just the overall look, it is the new user experience with a new iDrive and the debut of Panoramic Vision that projects information in the driver's line of sight and extends it across the width of the windshield, complementing the enhanced head-up display. This next generation of iDrive, which will be on the road in 2025, allows both the driver and passenger to interact with the information being displayed and move it around via the new center infotainment screen. And information is displayed through new augmented reality which will allow gaming when cars are approved for Level 3 autonomous driving. The system has four superbrains for faster computing.

The new multifunctional steering wheel has a flat top and bottom—so, no, it is not a yoke—and moving the iDrive controls here marks a new era for the system while freeing up space in the center console that used to house the dreaded iDrive knob. There is a panel on the right side of the steering wheel that you slide with your thumb to control the HUD and iDrive functions, the left side of the wheel has cruise control. It is a wild-looking and asymmetrical steering wheel with more open space on the right than the left.

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Building the Future

Neue Klasse vehicles will be assembled globally, including at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, which will make electric SUVs. It all starts in 2025 at a plant under construction in Debrecen, Hungary; followed by production in Munich and Shenyang, China, in 2026; San Luis Potosi in Mexico will make sedans and SUVs in 2027. Many battery plants are also planned. Spartanburg battery plant and vehicle assembly start in 2027.

Work continues on the vehicle and battery side to increase range, charging time, and efficiency, including new-generation wheel designs and tires. The Neue Klasse SAV (sport activity vehicle) will reduce energy consumption up to 25 percent, executives say, and the sedan will reduce consumption by up to 20 percent.

BMW's sixth-generation powertrain has a highly integrated E-Drive unit that reduces energy loss by up to 40 percent, the vehicles have an 800-volt system for higher-speed charging, and the high voltage battery is more than 20 percent denser, engineers say. The automaker claims testing shows the new powertrain makes vehicles 40 percent more efficient in winter conditions, weighs 25 percent less and costs 20 percent less.