BMW’s Next Electric Crossover Will Probably Look More Like This Concept Than You’d Think

As BMW continues on the road to its incoming Neue Klasse EVs, the automaker has dropped another concept car to whet people’s appetites. The BMW Vision Neue Klasse X concept doesn’t appear as far-out as the Vision Neue Klasse sedan concept from last year, but there might be a good reason for that. In fact, this electric crossover concept might be a whole lot closer to the incoming production-spec Neue Klasse iX3 crossover than you might expect. After all, the first Neue Klasse car is expected to go on sale next year, and instead of an electric 3 Series, it may actually be a crossover.

On the outside of the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X, there’s a lot of modern BMW design language going on, but a dash of legacy here and there. A much sharper kink in the greenhouse than on the current X3 evokes the original E83 model, while tall kidney grilles set into horizontal elements incorporating non-round headlights seem to be a nod to the BMW 2000 from the original ’60s Neue Klasse series.

However, despite a kink and perhaps inspiration for a grille, the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X isn’t a retro design. There’s plenty of the monolithic surfacing and slightly fussy details we’ve seen on cars like the 2 Series and 5 Series, a potential sign that this design may be further along than you might expect. Plus, it’s unusual for a concept car to have shut lines around bumpers and hatch moldings, legally-mandated rear reflectors, or interior rearview mirrors. In fact, everything we see on the outside of this Vision Neue Klasse X concept lines up with spy shots posted on the Bimmerpost forum. Overall, I reckon the styling of this crossover isn’t bad. It’s certainly the most successful modern integration of vertical kidney grilles we’ve seen, and the plunging greenhouse is as quirky as it is useful for visibility. If the production version looks like this, it should appeal to new customers without scaring off old ones, a tricky balancing act.

The first production-spec Neue Klasse EV will arrive in 2025, and it’s likely to be a compact crossover called the iX3 with the chassis code NA5. BMW currently makes an iX3 for the rest of the world that’s just an electric X3, but the next-generation X3 and iX3 are expected to diverge. BMW has confirmed that it’s planning Neue Klasse model production in Debrecen, Hungary, so expect this new model to be made there first. However, don’t be surprised if a North American plant, likely San Luis Potosi in Mexico, starts producing Neue Klasse EVs at a later date to grab those sweet, sweet Inflation Reduction Act tax credits.

Given what BMW’s already confirmed about the Neue Klasse platform, expect an 800-volt high-voltage architecture and Tesla-like cylindrical battery cells, which BMW touts as 20 percent lighter than the prismatic cells used in models like the current i4. Expect rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, battery pack sizes between 75 kWh and 150 kWh, and bi-directional charging. Future M models may even have four motors for 1,341 horsepower. Porsche Macan EV, who?

Of course, the inside of the Vision Neue Klasse X is largely fantasy, but looking past the candy cane colorway and concept car materials, there are some details that should make it to an eventual production model. That giant horizontal screen BMW’s calling the Panoramic Vision is expected to form the basis of the next generation of iDrive. As for the iconic once-loathed now-loved scroll-and-jog-wheel controller? It’s gone in this concept, likely due to changing customer tastes. It wouldn’t be the first time, seeing as how iDrive 9 in the BMW X1 already doesn’t feature a traditional iDrive controller, but it would feel like the end of an era should this change make it to the eventual production model.

In any case, we should know next year if BMW’s incoming compact electric crossover looks a whole lot like the Vision Neue Klasse X. While there’s not much reason to believe that drastic changes will occur between concept and production, it’s entirely likely that little details will change. Think valences, along with more obvious stuff like mirrors and wheels. Still, if this is what the future holds, consider our curiosity piqued. A compact, practical, big-windowed crossover with non-hideous styling that promises an impressive electric powertrain definitely has a market, and it could be exactly what BMW needs to surf the electric wave.

(Photo credits: BMW)

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