Where the Bavarian automaker once planned to go with flexible platforms capable of using a variety of different powertrain technologies – from all-gas to all-electric – the Neue Klasse models are exclusively EV, a move BMW says will allow it to deliver better performance, longer range, faster charging times and improved interior space.
Set to go into production before the end of the year, the BMW iX3 50 xDrive will be just the first of a broad range of models using Neue Klasse’s new design language and powertrain technology, as well as its new “Heart of Joy” supercomputing system.
What’s a Neue Klasse?
“The Neue Klasse is our biggest future-focused project and marks a huge leap forward in terms of technologies, driving experience, and design,” said the automaker’s Chairman Oliver Zipse “Practically everything about it is new, yet it is also more BMW than ever.” Beyond that carefully worded statement, Neue Klasse translates from the German as “new class,” and it really does bring changes to just about everything,
First seen in concept form as the BMW Vision X, the production iX3 starts off with a unique, skateboard-like platform that is flexible enough to be used for a variety of different product lines, whether sedan, coupe or Sport Activity Vehicle. But that’s just where things start. Neue Klasse brings the debut of BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive technology which features a new generation of cylindrical batteries and motors.
Add the Heart of Joy, a centralized system that pares back the number of standalone microprocessors on the vehicle, instead moving control to four high-power central processing units – which BMW claims can operate 10 times faster than the brains in its current product line-up..
All-new BMW eDrive
BMW has come a long way since it debuted its little i3 all-electric city car in 2013, The iX3 becomes the first product to use the automaker’s sixth-generation eDrive technology. It relies on both new motors and a new, 800-volt electrical architecture and, BMW claims, reduces energy losses by 40% compared to its Gen-5 system, while weight is down 10%. Manufacturing costs, meanwhile, have been reduced by 20%.
In practical terms, the iX3 50 xDrive features a new Asynchronous Motor on the front axle, an Electrically Excited Synchronous Motor at the rear. Together, they produce 463 hp and 476 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to launch the compact utility vehicle from 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, according to factory testing, with a top speed of 130 mph. The maximum towing capacity is 4,400 pounds.
BMW has yet to reveal the size of the battery pack which uses a new generation of cylindrical lithium-ion cells. But it did note that it expects to deliver range of as much as 400 miles – and there using the strict EPA test cycle, rather than Europe’s looser WLTP standard. Tthe upgraded electrical architecture can handle up to 400 kW of current, more than what only a small number of public DC quick chargers currently can provide. With enough “juice,” it can add as much as 230 miles more rang in “just 10 minutes,” while adding that “the high-voltage battery can be charged from 10 to 80% capacity in just 21 minutes.” The system can handle up to 19.2 kW of current using the built-in AC Level 2 charger.
Have a Heart
Earlier this year, BMW offered a small group of journalists a chance to check out a heavily camouflaged version of what has become the iX3. One of the highlights was what the automaker dubs the “Heart of Joy.” To start with, it’s sharply pared back on the number of standalone microprocessors found in traditional vehicles, like today’s X3 or 3-Series. Instead, it’s borrowed a page from the Tesla playbook with processing largely centralized in four “superbrains.” These, the automaker explained, “will operate “drivetrain, brakes, charging, recuperation, and steering functions (and) processes information ten times faster than previous systems.”
“The Heart of Joy enables us to take driving pleasure not just to the next level, but another one beyond that,” added Frank Weber, the member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Development.
Just the list of technologies onboard the new iX3 could fill an entire article – and rambled on for many pages in the BMW press release. There are the requisites, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as the updated infotainment system now called BMW Panoramic iDrive. But one significant feature is the new Security Assistant which can issue a digital alert if there’s an attempted break-in, with an owner then able to remotely look inside and out using the BMW app. The Drive Recorder is BMW’s built-in alternative to a dash cam. Add a wireless smartphone charger, a 5G WiFi hotspot and the ability to handle smartphone-style over-the-air onboard software updates.
BMW’s New Design Language
Despite the focus on wind-cheating aerodynamics, the iX3 is a bit more slab-sided than current BMW offerings, with a more upright nose and angular pillars. As with most modern EVs, there’s a small, sealed upper grille, since there’s no internal combustion engine to cool. Larger intakes e below the front bumper provide airflow to the motors and battery pack. The Neue Klasse introduces a new, horizontal “four-eyed” lighting scheme and a revised take on the classic BMW double-kidney signature. A gently tapering roofline flows into a muscular rear end with broad shoulders.
If anything, there’s a subtle retro quality to the look of the new iX3 – and that’s clearly intentional, according to BMW global design chief Adrian van Hooydonk. “The design of the Neue Klasse provides a very modern interpretation of what BMW has always stood for,” and is notably “evocative” of models such as the iconic 1600 from the 1960s, and the 1970s-era 2002. “With our new design language,” he added, “the new BMW iX3 looks future-focused, modern, and timeless – but, above all, more BMW than ever.”
What you can expect is that the Neue Klasse design language will begin diffusing throughout BMW, though the dimensions will be different depending upon whether you’re looking at all-electric or other product lines.
Class-Above Interior Space
Like most modern EVs, the Neue Klasse is based on a skateboard-like platform. By moving the batteries and key drive components below the load floor that frees up space normally devoted to the engine compartment with an internal combustion-powered vehicle. The iX3 measures 188.3 inches in total length. That’s about an inch longer than today’s gas-powered X3 but interior space is closer to that of an X5 – and there’s a 2 cubic foot frunk under the hood. The EV has a 74.6-inch width and stands 64.4 inches in height, with a wheelbase of 114.1 inches. Cargo space comes in at 30.4 cubic feet, more than doubling to 65 cf with the rear seats folded down.
The overall look of the interior is refined, yet almost Scandinavian in its toned-down layout. BMW calls it “an uncluttered, reduced design.” A floating instrument features a 17.9-inch central touchscreen that also can be operated by voice or steering wheel buttons. The big surprise is the lack of a rotary knob on the center console. With the Panoramic Vision System, key data points are displayed on the left lower corner of the windshield, meaning a driver’s eyes will seldom stray from the road. There’s also an optional 3D Head-Up Display.
The seats are completely new, well padded yet more modern in appearance. There’s a distinct reduction in plastic trim to the cabin – which can be lavished in either vegan materials or, for traditionalists, Merino Leather. For those who prefer traditional controls, BMW has retained plenty of knobs and switches for functions like sideview mirrors, volume, and key climate control operations.
Driver in Control
The iX3 will allow a driver to personalize a broad range of vehicle settings, everything from steering feel to the simulated audio soundtrack that can replace the rumble of a traditional internal combustion engine. The My Modes system includes Sport, Efficient and Silent presets. But a driver also can customize individual settings, perhaps opting for a softer ride but firmer steering.
There will also be six “inspirational background images” for the touchscreen interface available at launch, and “Customers will also be able to set their own pictures as the background image for the Central Display using the My BMW App,” noted BMW.
Pricing and Availability
BMW is planning a staggered rollout for the first Neue Klasse line. Production of the iX3 50 xDrive will begin at BMW’s plant in Debrecen, Hungary during the first quarter of 2026, deliveries scheduled to start in Europe and then reach the U.S. by Summer. Look for a starting price of around $60,000 – though the final resolution of U.S.-EU trade talks could determine the final figure depending upon what tariffs on imported autos are set at.
Expect to see additional versions of the iX3 follow, including a a single-motor rear-wheel-drive package.
The Neue Klasse’s design and technology eventually will migrate to other EV lines, though BMW has yet to reveal timing. Meanwhile, we can expect to see some production land at the automaker’s massive assembly plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, supplied by a new battery plant going up just a few miles away.
