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BMW’s first Neue Klasse EVs will be sedans and SUVs in the 3-Series segment


BMW just launched iX and i4 tram, as well as a electric version of the current 3-Series exclusively in China, but these will be replaced starting in 2025 with a new generation of BMW electric vehicles based on the so-called platform Neue Klasse (German for “New Class”).

The Neue Klasse platform is being developed from the ground up for an electric powertrain, with the original plan to have it also support internal combustion engine in different hybrid configurations were removed. However, the platform will likely support hydrogen fuel cells.

The first Neue Klasse-based car will be built at a factory under construction in Debrecen, Hungarystarting in 2025. Neue Klasse-based vehicles are also confirmed to be built at an existing plant in Munich, Germany, starting in 2026.

BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse said Wednesday when announcing its financial results for the first half of 2022, the Neue Klasse-based car will be a sedan in the 3-Series segment.

Oliver Zipse

Oliver Zipse

Codenamed NK1, the sedan is expected to be a member of the next-generation 3-Series family, possibly the successor to the aforementioned electric 3-Series that debuted in China earlier. this year with the name i3 (the i3 electric hatchback is dead). The next 3-Series, due around mid-decade, will also offer an internal combustion engine, likely using an updated version of the current-generation CLAR platform. BMW predicts that even by 2030, nearly half of all cars sold globally will still have an internal combustion engine, although most of these are likely to be electrified. The rest will be based on the Neue Klasse platform.

The platform will allow engineers to vary the wheelbase, and the vehicles based on the platform will have a more aerodynamic design to help maximize range. Therefore, the proportions will be different than before, not only in terms of aerodynamics but also helping to increase interior space. The platform will also use BMW’s sixth-generation electric motor and battery technology, promising improved power and efficiency. To offset the weight of the battery, BMW will increase the use of composite materials for both the interior structure and body panels, including the use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic in some models.

BMW considers the introduction of the Neue Klasse platform to be as significant a shift as the introduction of the original Neue Klasse platform in the 1960s, a platform that underpinned a wide range of sedans and coupes it created. so the roadmap for BMW to this day.

“We see the Neue Klasse as a complete reset for the car and our understanding of mobility,” says Zipse. “Over the next three years, our preparations will be intense, covering all areas of the company.”



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