BMW has pulled the wraps off the Vision Neue Klasse at the Munich Motor Show, and we are extremely happy indeed...
You see, this is essentially a step on from the i Vision Circular concept that we first saw in 2021 and the i Vision Dee concept from earlier this year. And when we say a step on, we mean that something very like this wonderful, shark-nosed, simple three-ish box sedan will reach production in 2025.
It won’t just be this car, though. You’ll probably have guessed from the name (which BMW used so successfully to reinvent itself in the ’60s and early ’70s), but this will be the first of six or seven all-electric Neue Klasse models that’ll arrive between 2025 and 2027. They won’t all be built on the same platform, but we’re told that they will all use BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive technology.
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That means more efficient motors and new battery cells with 20% greater energy density than the BMW EVs currently on sale. Oh, and we’re told that the sedan you see here will be 25% more efficient overall than the current crop, with 30% more range and 30% faster charging, too. No actual figures yet, but it sounds promising.
But let’s get back to the design for a second, because it really is a rather nice piece of work in our eyes. We’re told it “embodies a clear design language, with expansive surfaces and just a few distinctive lines, that has been pared down to the essentials.”
All the chrome has been deleted, and much of it has been replaced with either LED lighting or recycled plastic. The kidneys and the Hofmeister kink are still present and correct, and the whole thing is a heck of a lot less offensive than some current BMW designs. Cough XM cough. BMW even goes as far as saying that the new language is “clear, elegant, and timeless.” Quite the U-turn.
“With the Neue Klasse, we have embarked on the biggest investment in the company’s history,” said Frank Weber, the member of the board responsible for development at BMW. “We are not just writing the next chapter of BMW, we’re writing a whole new book. That’s why Neue Klasse will certainly impact all model generations.”
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Exciting times ahead. Things are equally as clean and bright inside, too—although the door handles being replaced by E Ink showing you where to wave your hand to open the door probably won’t make production. Anyway, inside are yellow corduroy seats (in a BMW!), plus a square steering wheel and no sign of any chrome or leather.
There’s an all-new generation of iDrive, though, which is controlled either using your voice or a touch-sensitive panel on the steering wheel. Uh-oh. That iDrive and central screen isn’t the only bit of entertainment in there, because the Neue Klasse will also premiere BMW’s Panoramic Vision—essentially a giant info- and navigation-filled head-up display that runs across the full width of the windshield and is controlled using gestures by either the driver or the passenger. In this four-seater concept, we’re told it’s 120mm tall, but in production form, it’ll still be 80mm. BMW says iDrive now “merges the real and virtual worlds” thanks to the Panoramic Vision.
So, what do we think folks? Can a Neue Klasse range headed up by this sedan succeed all over again?
More photos of the BMW Vision Neue Klasse:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
