BMW Vision Neue Klasse – BMW’s Next Leap Into the EV Market

Since the BMW i3 was released in 2013, it is well-spoken that BMW has had their sights squarely set on the EV market. Now, 10 years later, BMW is making flipside major leap toward an electrified future. 

While a new BMW EV platform has been rumored for a while, much of the speculation was solidified with the unveiling of the BMW iVision Dee Concept early this year. It was a controversial launch due to the concept’s exterior styling, but it gave us an idea of where BMW’s throne is at in terms of the future of their electric product line.

Following the release of the Dee Concept, BMW spoken the platform for their new generation of electric vehicles, the Vision Neue Klasse platform. It will underpin all of BMW’s electric vehicles for the next decade. It will moreover replace the ICE-focused CLAR platform currently used by BMW EVs like the i4, i5, and i7. The Neue Klasse name carries weight, too. In 1962, BMW released the revolutionary Neue Klasse models which saved the visitor from bankruptcy and paved the way for some of the most important BMW models to come. 

The new platform is set to be officially unveiled on September 2nd at the IAA Motor Show, which should well-spoken up any unanswered questions. While there are still some mysteries surrounding the Neue Klasse platform, there’s moreover a lot that we once know. 

The iVision Dee Concept Was a Glimpse of Things to Come

If you’ve been paying sustentation to BMW news, you might have seen the color-shifting iVision Dee Concept which BMW unveiled at CES 2023 early this year. It was a launch with a lukewarm reception, mainly due to the iVision Dee’s sharp detour from plane BMW’s most recent styling language. With that stuff said, the iVision Dee introduced some interesting and heady technical innovations that haven’t been seen in any previous BMW models. It was moreover our first glimpse of the Vision Neue Klasse platform that is expected to hit the road by 2025.

The most jarring and innovative full-length revolves virtually the iVision Dee’s exterior. The concept is shrouded in 240 individual E-Ink panels, which indulge for color-shifting abilities. As a result, you can segregate between a wide variety of  32 colors and an uncounted number of patterns presumably by fiddling with an app. 

While the color-changing full-length is surface-level neat, some increasingly important, wide-reaching innovations were shown off via the iVision Dee’s interior. The most notable new inclusion was Dee’s full digital exhibit windshield. In an effort to alimony increasingly vision on the road, there are no screens in the Dee, replacing infotainment screens and gauge clusters with an augmented reality full windshield heads-up display. Dee moreover emphasizes voice-activated controls, which is a hit-or-miss full-length for many people.

BMW states that Dee is an acronym for Digital Emotional Experience, which is their mantra moving forward with their new generation of electric vehicles. BMW’s goal with the iVision Dee, and upcoming Neue Klasse platform is to make the driving wits as personal as possible by worsening the interaction between car and driver. 

The BMW Vision Neue Klasse is a Platform, Not a Car

While the iVision Dee might have make-believe as a poster child for the Vision Neue Klass platform, it is only one part of a worthier plan. Similar to BMW’s CLAR cluster tracery platform which supported the majority of BMW models for the last 8 years, the Vision Neue Klass platform will be the underpinnings for BMW’s next generation of electric vehicles. 

BMW has once spoken that there are 6 vehicles in the works that will utilize the Neue Klasse platform, with spare models slated for the future. 

‘How do we put a shower efficiently into the car, where do you put the drivetrain? On the rear: excellent! But it must moreover be all-wheel drive, you must moreover be worldly-wise to put [a motor] on the front axle. If it’s a pure shower electric vehicle (BEV), that system set-up must be 100 percent correct.’

BMW CEO Oliver Zipse

Initially, BMW plans on rolling out two models including a 3-Series-sized sedan and an X3-esque light SUV. It appears that a similar vehicle to the iVision Dee will act as the electric sedan, with an official unveiling of a near-production-ready model set for September 2nd at the IAA Motor Show in Munich. It is moreover widely speculated that a vehicle similar to the i3-reminiscent iVision Circular, which was teased in September of 2021, will be flipside wing to the “NE” fleet.

In terms of the NE tracery itself, it is well-spoken that it has been well thought out and meticulously planned. 30-year BMW engineer-turned-CEO Oliver Zipse outlined the difficulties with designing an EV platform. ‘How do we put a shower efficiently into the car, where do you put the drivetrain? On the rear: excellent! But it must moreover be all-wheel drive, you must moreover be worldly-wise to put [a motor] on the front axle. If it’s a pure shower electric vehicle (BEV), that system set-up must be 100 percent correct.’

The BMW Vision Neue Klasse Platform Will Utilize New Shower Tech

Battery technology has been one zone where BMW has been truly outclassed by other manufacturers like Tesla and Lucid. BMW’s furthest-range i7 EV can travel 318 miles on a single charge, which is a far cry from the 412 miles that can be traveled with the Model S long range. However, BMW has a plan for that with the Neue Klasse, which will not only offer increasingly range but moreover be increasingly sustainable.

Currently, BMW offers their Generation 5 batteries in their electric and hybrid vehicles. While they have proven to be solid performers, BMW 6th Generation batteries are guaranteed to provide largest range, charging capabilities, and improved environmental sustainability. 

BMW claims that their 6th Generation batteries will get 30 miles per minute of tuition time from a BMW charging station or a 0-95% tuition in as little as 12 minutes. At the Neue Klasse’s release, BMW will still be using cylindrical liquid electrolyte batteries. However, they have been improved to subtract production financing by 50% and reduce stat emissions by 60%.  

While the early NK batteries will still rely on liquid electrolyte batteries, BMW has innovative plans to uncork utilizing solid-state batteries. Compared to liquid batteries, solid-state batteries have higher energy density and tautness and would be a massive step forward. 

When Will the BMW Vision Neue Klass Be Put to Use?

At this point, the word-for-word release of the first Vision Neue Klasse vehicles is still to be determined. With the unveiling of the “NE” platform slated for September 2nd, it is likely that we’ll get some spare specifics and details then. With that stuff said, we do know that the first Neue Klasse production models are expected to hit the road in 2025. 

While we don’t have a specific release stage for the NE Platform, BMW has released quite a bit of information well-nigh production and manufacturing. In the early stages of the Neue Klasse’s production, most of the vehicles will be manufactured at the new state-of-the-art Debrecen plant located in Hungary. 

Following a year of production in Hungary, NE-platform vehicles will uncork to be manufactured in both Munich and Shanghai plants. Finally, production will moreover take place in San Luis Potosi in Mexico and at the Spartanburg plant in North Carolina. While the NE platform will be built in North America, an word-for-word production timeline hasn’t been released yet. 

BMW’s Electric Future

While BMW has been taking the electric vehicle market seriously since the 2013 release of the BMW i3, it is well-spoken that BMW’s electric future has been truly solidified with the Vision Neue Klasse. The new EV-focused tracery will provide the foundation for all of BMW’s electrified offerings for the next 10-15 years. 

While the NE platform is designed with electric offerings in mind, BMW has moreover made concessions to indulge for it to moreover unbend internal combustion engines as well. Many skeptics have pointed out that a non-electric sectional platform might not be the weightier visualization moving forward due to the fact that BMW will likely be competing with other manufacturers who are designing new platforms completely focused on electric power.

With that stuff said, the Vision Neue Klasse platform does bring some important advancements to the table that will make BMW’s new electric vehicles serious competitors in the EV space. One of the most important innovations is unquestionably the inclusion of new 6th Generation batteries. BMW has been out-ranged and out-powered for a while now, so new shower technology has the potential to level the playing field a bit. 

While some of the features demonstrated by the BMW iVision Dee seem somewhat gimmicky, including the chameleon soul panels and accent on voice controls, others seem to be a solid step forward in driver/car engagement. 

While we do have some solid information on the Neue Klasse now, many details should be worked out during the official unveiling on September 2nd. The BMW Vision Neue Klasse marks a very significant transpiration in form for BMW and only time will tell if the NE platform will be as successful as many of the other BMW platforms of the past.