BMW's 'New Class' EV platform will focus initially on 3 Series midsizers

September: Neue Klasse sedan concept previews next i3 & 3 Series

BMW has unveiled its new Neue Klasse sedan concept, revealing our clearest look yet at how the next i3 and 3 Series models will look.

Details at the link below.

May 9: New 3 Series to debut BMW's Neue Klasse platform

BMW's upcoming 'Neue Klasse' (New Class) architecture for electric vehicles will debut in a mid-size offering, the company's boss has confirmed.

Comments from BMW CEO Oliver Zipse, in an earnings call reported on by industry journal Automotive News, add further credence to reports that the next-gen 2025 BMW 3 Series could be a fully electrified offering.

"When it hits the market, it will be concentrated on the 3 Series segment and at that point in time the market will have developed into a size where it is reasonable to have only one drivetrain in that architecture," Zipse said.

Until last year's Munich motor show, it was expected the Neue Klasse platform, which designed primarily for electric vehicles, would also underpin some key petrol and diesel models. Now we know it will not only be produced exclusively for EVs, but also that the company will focus its application on midsizers – which will undoubtedly include the next X3 SUV.

Later, the platform will star in more "exclusive high-performance" models, a spokesperson added in a follow-up comment for Automotive News.

Zipse added on the call that BMW expects to hit cumulative sales of 2 million electrified models (pure EVs and PHEVs) by 2025, with fully half of its sales to be pure-electric by 2030.

Mike Stevens

The story to here

October, 2021: BMW is said to be working on an all-new electric sedan to be unveiled in 2025, which is expected to come to market at the same time the company is set to show off its solid-state battery.

Based on the company’s all-electric Neue Klasse architecture, the BMW sedan could end up being the next-generation 3 Series, and will launch at the same time the new battery technology makes its debut, according to Autocar.

The current 3 Series is due for replacement in 2025, based on the model’s seven-year life cycle.

Most major car manufacturers are investing heavily in developing solid-state batteries, with the expectation they will be able to offer significantly greater energy density, as well as much improved recharging times.

3

What that means is smaller and lighter batteries, a longer driving range from a single charge, zero to 100 per cent recharging in just 10 minutes.

BMW, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz are among the top carmakers to have invested millions of dollars in the technology, but it appears Toyota is leading the race, with over 1000 patents related to solid-state batteries, Nikkei Asia reports.

Earlier this week, BMW announced its Neue Klasse platform will mark the beginning of a new era of design for the German manufacturer.

“The Neue Klasse represents the beginning of a new phase of operations for BMW,” the company’s development chief, Frank Weber, told Autocar.

3

“It’s scaled to allow us to build electric cars from a 2 Series-sized saloon up to an X7-sized SUV,” he said.

“People are expecting different aesthetics. That’s why we’ve developed a new styling direction for our electric models."

It’s too early to know when solid-state batteries will be fitted to Neue Klasse models, but with Toyota seeking to launch an electric car in the first half of this decade using the tech, BMW won’t be too far behind.