BMW continues to actively promote its new generation of electric vehicles under the general name Neue Klasse, emphasizing the dynamics, innovation and emotionality that should become the basis of the new era of the brand. In this context, the manufacturer decided to pay special attention not to a traditional sedan or a practical crossover, but to a sports sedan called the BMW VDX - Vision Driving Experience, which should become the flagship of the company's engineering and design thinking in the field of electromobility.
The first public debut of this prototype took place earlier this year, but at that time the car was wrapped in colorful camouflage that hid key design decisions. Now, on the eve of the Shanghai International Auto Show, the VDX appears before the public for the first time without a cover, although the company emphasizes that this is not yet a production model, but a precursor to a new electric sports sedan in the Neue Klasse family.
To emphasize the uniqueness of the concept, the developers gave the prototype a special luminescent coating that effectively glows in the dark and creates a visual show during dynamic demonstrations. It is in this form that the BMW VDX demonstrated its uniqueness in Shanghai - the show was accompanied by an impressive light design and became a particularly bright event of the exhibition.
The Neue Klasse design philosophy, which has already appeared in previous BMW concepts, is fully preserved in the VDX. However, the company would like to note that the final production version of the model will undergo changes. This applies to both the exterior and technical equipment, although the basic proportions, LED optics and recognizable silhouette are unlikely to undergo a radical revision.
The interior of the model is also not yet final. The prototype shows temporary controls needed for testing - in particular, buttons protruding from under the central tunnel. At the same time, there are key architectural innovations that are characteristic of the Neue Klasse: the new Panoramic iDrive digital instrument cluster, which combines a wide display under the windshield and a large touchscreen in the center console. These elements should provide a completely new experience of driver-car interaction.
In addition to the visual component, the ergonomics are impressive: the four-spoke steering wheel of an unusual shape has undergone a series of trials and tests designed to provide maximum comfort and precision of control. The central tunnel is equipped with physical controls - thus BMW demonstrates that it does not intend to completely abandon tactile control in favor of sensor-based ones.
Given the VDX's sporty positioning, the interior also includes carbon fiber racing bucket seats with multi-point seat belts - an element that is unlikely to be retained in the production version, but emphasizes the concept's DNA.
At the heart of this prototype is the new Neue Klasse platform, which makes its debut on the BMW VDX. The main technological breakthrough of the platform is the Heart of Joy system - a universal electronic unit that integrates the control of all major electrical components: from electric motors to the braking system, steering and recuperation. According to official data, Heart of Joy is ten times more powerful than previous control systems and allows for more precise, dynamic and intuitive control of the car in any road situation.
In practice, this is embodied, in particular, in the new recuperation system, which has become 25% more efficient compared to current BMW models. This allows the electric vehicle to avoid the use of traditional friction brakes in everyday conditions - they are used only in emergency braking or in difficult road situations. This approach not only improves energy efficiency, but also contributes to smoother braking and reduced wear of parts.
It is also worth noting the fact that the VDX is not just a show car, but a real test platform on which all key components of future BMW electric vehicles are already being tested. This allows the company to evaluate the car's behavior in various conditions with high accuracy and achieve maximum correspondence between vision and reality.
