First vehicle from BMW’s Neue Klasse family is a two-row electric SUV
February 4, 2024 at 08:34
This story has been updated with a fresh batch of spy photos and all the latest information we have on the EV, including details about production, the utilization of BMW‘s next-gen batteries and more. (2/4/2024)
While most of us are wondering what 2024 might have in store for us, we can be sure it’ll involve plenty of sightings of this, the BMW iX3, which is scheduled for a 2025 launch. The first of the Neue Klasse family of cars that will be the backbone of BMW’s lineup right into the mid 2030s, the iX3 is a crucial vehicle and the German automaker can’t afford to mess it up.
We’re calling it the iX3, because that name seems logical as it will effectively replace the current iX3 sold in Europe (but not the U.S.), and is around the same size. But BMW hasn’t officially confirmed that name and refers to the electric SUV internally as NA5. Unlike the current model, the BEV’s second-generation will reportedly be available in North America as well.
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Photos Baldauf
It’s slated to begin production around 18 months from now, when it will join a refreshed version of the current combustion X3 in BMW’s lineup, which means there’s still plenty of development work to be carried out on prototypes like this one before the camouflage is ready to come off.
Though it wears plenty of disguise, it’s clear that the SUV’s styling blends traditional BMW cues like the Hofmeister kink in the rear window with some more radical ideas seen on BMW’s recent concept cars, like the flush panel across the nose. That’s fine with us, because we loved the look of the little Vision Circular and Vision Neue Klasse, and if the iX3 looks like them it means it won’t look like its slow-selling PHEV XM big brother.
More: Will The Neue Klasse iX3 Have A Traditional Twin-Kidney Grille Or Is BMW Just Trolling Us?
Even the interior shot – though not hugely clear – seems to suggest the dashboard will look like the one on the Vision Neue Klasse and won’t have a traditional instrument display, but rely on augmented reality graphics projected on the windshield instead.
Powertrain and Batteries
There’s a good chance that the next XM might end up on the Neue Klasse platform if it goes down the pure-EV route because BMW says the architecture is flexible to be used on everything from a little 2-Series to a three-row X7. You can expect plenty of flexibility within each model range, too.
The Neue Klasse platform adopts a 800-volt electrical architecture. More importantly, it will employ BMW’s newly-developed Gen6 batteries that use smaller cylindrical cells as opposed to the current prismatic cell design. These upgrades, coupled with other improvements such as increased nickel content and reduced cobalt content, promise 20% greater energy density, up to 30% more range, and a 60% reduction in production-related carbon emissions compared to its existing cells.
BMW says this should result in a driving range of around 500 miles or 800 km. At the same time, charging times will be reduced by as much as 30%. Additional advantages of the Gen6 batteries include enhanced packaging, reduced overall height, and weight savings
As with other current BMW electric cars like the i4, we’re expecting the iX3 to be available with a choice of single- and dual-motor powertrains, giving the option of two- or all-wheel drive. Entry-level single-motor cars could carry iX3 40 branding, while at the other end of the scale we can expect BMW to offer M60 xDrive and potentially even iX3 M performance variants producing up to 600hp.
The current iX3 is exclusively manufactured at BMW’s factory in China, where it is produced alongside the i3 sedan (based on the 3-Series). However, Neue Klasse models like the new iX3 are set to be made at various other BMW plants, including the flagship facility in Munich, Germany, as well as in Mexico. Additionally, BMW has plans to introduce a long-wheelbase version of the upcoming iX3, codenamed NA6, specifically tailored for the Chinese market.
