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Future models - BMW - Neue Klasse - XNeue Klasse showcases BMW technologyBMW’s new direction promises more than just fresh metal as Neue Klasse launch nears17 Mar 2025 AT BMW’s Annual Conference last Friday, company leadership made it clear what direction the German manufacturer was taking to remain profitable and “relevant” in the automotive world of the future.
During the event, BMW AG chair Oliver Zipse placed great emphasis on the brand’s electric Neue Klasse vehicles that will be the driver of BMW’s fortunes and are due to go into production soon, spearheading 40 new or updated models that will launch between now and 2027.
A successor to the iX3 electric medium SUV will be the first Neue Klasse vehicle for Australia, and testing for the model is already in full swing. A Neue Klasse equivalent to the 3 Series passenger car will follow it into production in 2026.
Emphasising the importance of the new SUV during the conference at BMW Welt in Munich, Professor Zipse stood next to the first production-ready example of the Neue Klasse X – cloaked in camouflage wrap – as a first glimpse of what will roll off the line at BMW’s new plant in Debrecen, Hungary later this year.
“We are deliberately starting out in high-volume segments: We want our innovations to have a broad impact, not just in niche segments,” he explained.
In his opening address to the conference, Prof Zipse said BMW expects global sales figures “to rise once again” in 2025.
"At the same time, capital expenditure will decrease, as planned. This will enable us to increase our free cash flow.”
Prof Zipse’s confidence was underpinned by a four-pronged strategy, the last of which focuses on the Neue Klasse project. “No other manufacturer has a project as ambitious and ground-breaking as our Neue Klasse about to enter production,” claimed Prof Zipse while reiterating that BMW will focus this year on growth and innovation because “we stand on the threshold of a new era”.
“The Neue Klasse will launch late this year and is a project that is unprecedented in both form and significance in the history of the BMW Group,” he said. From the launch of the first Neue Klasse models, all future BMWs will be equipped with the Panoramic Drive human-machine interface system debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Prof Zipse also called attention to the sixth-generation of BMW eDrive technology – with 800-volt architecture and bidirectional charging capability – that will debut in the Neue Klasse models and claimed to increase the appeal of battery electric vehicles. “The new BMW round cells promise 20 per cent higher energy density, 30 per cent faster charging and at least 30 per cent more range. And within just 10 minutes, enough energy for another 300 kilometres can be recharged, he enthused.
Compared to the current fifth-generation tech, it is expected that the new components will reduce the cost of high-voltage batteries by 40-50 per cent on a comparable electric-range basis. The electronics architecture has also been completely redesigned, utilising four high-performance computers known as ‘superbrains' that will control key functionalities such as driving dynamics, automated driving and infotainment. According to BMW, these ‘superbrains’ deliver more than 20 times the in-vehicle computing power of current systems, providing the headroom to future-proof its cars for software and function updates, as well as new artificial intelligence features. BMW has also “greatly” simplified the electrical system, dividing it into four zones, with intelligent control and with 600 metres less wiring, a 30 per cent reduction in weight and a 20 per cent increase in energy efficiency. “With the Neue Klasse, we will be turning the mobility of the future into reality. Driving dynamics, drivetrain, battery technology, operating concept, digitalisation: We have refined each of these aspects and, in the case of design, even skipped a generation,” said Prof Zipse. “In this way, we are redefining not only the BMW brand, but also the future of individual mobility.” After the Neue Klasse X, the rollout will continue in rapid succession, including a sporty sedan at the core of the BMW brand in 2026. The Neue Klasse model range marks the beginning of a completely new generation of vehicle styling, design and technology at BMW, introducing the manufacturer’s “technology boosters” for the entire brand. Regardless of powertrain technology, all future BMW models will benefit from the technologies of the Neue Klasse and its new design language.
Prof Zipse used his speech to share a few examples of BMW’s “groundbreaking” advances in technology, including BMW Panoramic iDrive, which re-imagines a “typical” BMW driver orientation. It is essentially a new development of a head-up display that projects content across the full width of the windscreen.
BMW has seamlessly integrated various display and operating elements to enable a completely new level of intuitive interaction. Overlaying all these developments, BMW is harnessing technical opportunities presented by the Neue Klasse project to take driving dynamics to “a whole new level”, focusing on BMW Vision Driving Experience (VDX), which the manufacturer says is “pushing driving dynamics to its physical limits”.
The VDX sedan concept is the most powerful development prototype BMW has ever built and runs off one of the four super-brains in the Neue Klasse. BMW developed the software for the driving dynamics control system entirely in-house and it will be used in all future electric BMW models. Prof Zipse and other members of the board of management had already taken the opportunity to drive the series version of the Neue Klasse, with the boss saying, “Let me tell you: We were all equally excited about the driving experience – but not just in terms of pushing the physical limits. Most importantly, we were deeply impressed by the added value our technologies create for our customers in everyday situations.”  Read more13th of January 2025  CES 2025: Top auto revealsWild, wacky, and futuristic vehicle technology showcased at Consumer Electronics Show6th of August 2024  Cooling demand prompts EV rethinkGerman luxury brands, suppliers change tack amid cooling EV demandMotor industry news GoAutoNews is Australia’s number one automotive industry journal covering the latest news, future and new model releases, market trends, industry personnel movements, and international events. |
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