New BMW Vision Neue Klasse X coming soon – price, specs and release info

This is the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X, which it doesn’t take a native German speaker to figure out means “new class”. In other words, this is what future BMWs are going to look like, broadly. The Neue Klasse is all-electric, of course, and it’s most likely to become a new iX3 SUV, but you’ll probably be seeing this little snout on all new BMW crossover-style cars from 2025 onwards.
Read on to find out everything we know so far about the Vision Neue Klasse X… • Brand new electric platform offers “30 percent more range” than today’s BMW EVs • 20 percent more aerodynamic than current BMW SUVs too, despite chunky shape • Equipped with four “super-brains” that enable “a quantum leap in automated driving” • Customisable info display stretches the length of the windscreen • Minimalistic interior features plant-based and recycled material • Small kidney grille harks back to classic BMWs going back to the 1930s • Likely to become the next BMW iX3 when it goes into production in 2025

As startling as the Vision Neue Klasse X looks, there are actually a lot of classic BMW design cues baked into it. The relatively small kidney grille – a definitive piece of BMW iconography – will be a gift to those who still can’t get on board with the massive snout of the current BMW 4 Series. It’s illuminated too. Aggressive wheel arches, short overhangs and the Hofmeister Kink (the kicked-up angle of the window above the rear wheel arch) are all typical BMW design motifs too.
The ‘X’ part of the Neue Klasse’s name is important because it distinguishes this from the Neue Klasse Saloon that BMW unveiled in September 2023. That car previewed the company’s future saloons and coupes, while this is the basis of its SUVs – or “SAVs”, as BMW calls them, for Sports Activity Vehicles.

As you can probably tell from all the quotation marks in the bullet points above, the press release accompanying the Neue Klasse X is big on PR hyperbole but light on solid information. In fairness to BMW, it is just a concept for the time being, so that’s to be expected. What we do know, though, is that it’s all controlled by powerful software developed in-house by BMW, described as follows:
“The BMW of the future will have four totally new super-brains: high-performance computers working smartly together on what, up until now, was processed separately. We developed the first super-brain completely in-house. It integrates the entire powertrain and driving dynamics with up to ten times more computing power. The second super-brain will enable the next quantum leap in automated driving. Going forward, we will combine four key control units in a single high-performance computer. The result will be more dynamic performance, more precision, more efficiency and even more fun to drive.” So there you go. The user experience in the production car should be second-to-none, with BMW promising “advanced voice control” and “effortless and intuitive interfaces for human-car interaction”. All of it is controlled by one of the 'super computers', so it should be properly responsive. In addition to the asymmetrical infotainment display, a customisable ‘Panoramic Vision’ screen spans the width of the dashboard beneath the windscreen, controlled using backlit haptic touchpads on the steering wheel. You can even choose from various sounds you’d like the car to make on the move. BMW has history here, having employed legendary film composer Hans Zimmer to compose sound effects for the iX.

The chassis and battery technology that underpin the Neue Klasse X are brand new, and represent a significant step forward for BMW electric cars. It’s the first time BMW has used 800v architecture – the same sort of tech underneath the Porsche Taycan and Hyundai Ioniq 5 – and that means it’ll charge 30 percent quicker than today's electric BMWs. It’ll be able to draw 186 miles of charge in just 10 minutes at the quickest DC charging stations.
The battery itself comprises lithium-ion cells that are 20 percent more energy dense than BMW’s current units. Combine that with the fact that this is 20 percent more aerodynamic than today's BMW iX3, and the result is one-shot range approaching 400 miles.

We know that the “first derivative will go into series production in 2025”, but BMW hasn’t yet confirmed whether this will indeed become the new iX3. If that’s the case, you’ll be looking at a starting price in the region of £65,000, sitting below the £70,000 iX in BMW’s model range.

The Neue Klasse saloon will be released at around the same time, in 2025. It makes sense for this to be badged ‘i3’ despite being very different to the discontinued BMW of the same name. Before that, the BMW i5 Touring is imminent – the estate version of the i5 saloon.

At this size and price point, the production Neue Klasse X will compete with stuff like the Audi Q8 e-tron, the Mercedes EQC, the Genesis GV60, and the Kia EV9.