The news was officially confirmed by BMW Group chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk in a conversation with the British publication Autocar. According to him, the market success of the M3 Touring and M5 Touring shows that customers want cars with this type of body. Including electric ones. So, a station wagon on the Neue Klasse platform is under development, the premiere of the car is scheduled for 2026.
The first model of the Neue Klasse family will be the second generation iX3. According to unofficial data, power plants with a capacity of 300 to 1000+ horsepower are being prepared for the new model, as well as batteries of different capacities, which will provide a range of up to 800 kilometers. The i3 will follow, which will become a direct competitor to the Tesla Model 3, and the Bavarian electric car will be produced in both sedan and station wagon body styles.
As for the appearance of the upcoming “new class“, you can get an idea of it from the VDX concept, which recently debuted at the Shanghai Motor Show. This prototype, in turn, almost exactly copies the BMW Vision Neue Klasse 2023 show car: the same lowered glazing line, large splitter and new “kidney“ design with a three-dimensional light signature imitating the characteristic radiator grille of BMW cars.
It has also been officially confirmed that all models in the Neue Klasse family will receive the Panoramic iDrive X infotainment system. The VDX show car has a 17.9-inch central multimedia screen, and above it is a narrow screen extending from pillar to pillar along the windshield. However, it is not yet known what configuration the production models will have.