BMW Vision Neue Klasse – the look of future BMWs?

The BMW Group has launched a new design concept that aims to define the next generation of vehicles for its core BMW brand. Named the BMW Vision Neue Klasse, the vehicle is a representation of the company’s ambitions in electrification, digitalization, and sustainability.

According to Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, the Neue Klasse is designed to keep the company “two steps ahead of the future,” and is already shaping “the mobility of the next decade.”

The BMW Vision Neue Klasse is rooted in the company’s commitment to electrification. Zipse emphasizes that the vehicle is set to bring the future of mobility into the present. We already know that the Neue Klasse will debut a new electric architecture called BMW eDrive sixth generation. The new sixth gen BMW eDrive is said to offer 30% more range, 30% faster charging, and 25% more efficiency.

BMW will be moving from the current prismatic cell design used in its cars to cylindrical batteries, specifically a design with a 46mm diameter with two different heights. The batteries will be supplied by CATL and Eve Energy, both Chinese companies. It will also be running 800V architecture, just like Hyundai’s E-GMP, BYD and Porsche/Audi’s J1 platform. Using 800V will allow for faster charging times to be achieved.

One of the standout aspects of the BMW Vision Neue Klasse is its focus on circularity. Zipse mentions that the vehicle will be developed with an emphasis on a sustainable lifecycle. This suggests that from material sourcing to production and eventually decommissioning, BMW aims to make the Neue Klasse as sustainable as possible.

What do you think of the design of the Neue Klasse though? It certainly is a huge departure to how the current batch of BMWs look like.

We’re still trying to get used to how cars like the iX, i7/7-Series and i5/5-Series look like, which are already rather significant departures from other fairly new BMWs like the X1 and iX1. Now the Neue Klasse looks like it will revamp what it means to look like a BMW again.