With the i4 and iX, BMW currently has two of the hottest products on the EV market. These will be joined by a new generation of zero-emissions vehicles towards the middle of the decade, underpinned by what the Bavarian company calls Neue Klasse. It is a new architecture that is currently under development and we will first see it under the skin of an electric sedan and an electric SUV.
In a long press release detailing BMW Group’s financial results for the first half of the year, there’s interesting information coming from BMW’s CEO Oliver Zipse. Reaffirming what he announced earlier this year during the automaker’s first-quarter earnings call, Zipse states Neue Klasse will underpin a compact electric sedan, followed by a compact SUV.
“Emotional products and innovative technology are and will remain the backbone of our business success. Our rapidly growing range of all-electric vehicles with the BMW Operating System 8 impresses customers and experts alike — and is already a central driver of our sales today. From 2025, we will make the next big leap with the Neue Klasse: the Neue Klasse defines what the BMW Group stands for in the future. At the start, we are planning a compact sedan in the 3 Series segment and a sporty SUV. By the end of the decade, the Neue Klasse is expected to account for more than half of our sales.”
BMW is not ready to reveal more details regarding its future electric vehicles, but a report from earlier this year highlighted that the automaker will eventually have a whole range of battery-powered models based on the Neue Klasse (New Class) architecture. These will range from the mainstream segment to exclusive high-performance models. The new platform will be used for electric vehicles, while other combustion-powered models will continue to be underpinned by different platforms.
In the press release, BMW also explains how Neue Klasse will be supported by BMW's push toward a circular economy. Without going into details, the automaker says it will use new production technologies and processes from the middle of the decade onwards. The first product based on the Neue Klasse will arrive in 2025 and there are already rumors about a potential supercar using the new architecture.
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