BMW is set to unveil its new look that will filter through to all cars in the stable through BMW Vision Neue Klasse at the IAA Mobility 2023 International Motor Show in Munich – with some radical thinking embodied in the concept.
“The BMW Vision Neue Klasse combines our ability to innovate in the core areas of electrification, digitalisation and circularity,” says Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “In this way, we are always able to stay two steps ahead of the future: The Neue Klasse is already bringing the mobility of the next decade to the roads in 2025 – and leading BMW into a new era.”
The Vision Vehicle features expansive surfaces and only a few distinctive lines in order to accentuate signature features such as the BMW kidney grille and the Hofmeister kink of the side window graphic. In the interior, the next generation of BMW iDrive merges real and virtual worlds.
Secondary Raw Materials
Increased use of secondary raw materials, resource-efficient production and a fully-electric drive train with sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology reduces the carbon footprint of the Neue Klasse across the vehicle lifecycle.
“30% more range, 30% faster charging, 25% more efficiency – the Neue Klasse represents a major technological leap that will take EfficientDynamics to new heights. The same applies to its design – which could not be any more futuristic,” says Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development. “With the Neue Klasse, we have embarked on the biggest investment in the company’s history. We are not just writing the next chapter of BMW; we’re writing a whole new book. That’s why the Neue Klasse will certainly impact all model generations.”
“The design of the Neue Klasse is typically BMW and so progressive it looks like we skipped a model generation,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design.
Fresh Interpretation
The almost monolithic vehicle body gets a fresh interpretation of the brand's signature design elements, where the BMW kidney grille and double headlights, transform the vehicle’s front end into a single interaction area.
A lighting effect provides interaction between the human and their vehicle as soon as they approach the car and E Ink elements in the lower portion of the side windows direct attention to the sensor area that activates automatic door opening.
Analogue operating controls have been reduced to a minimum in the BMW Vision Neue Klasse and human-car interaction takes place through the BMW Panoramic Vision, the Central Display and multifunction buttons on the steering wheel.
With BMW Panoramic Vision, information is projected at the ideal height into the driver's line of sight and, for the first time, across the entire width of the windscreen.
Consolidated Data
The new BMW iDrive is based on a highly integrated software architecture that consolidates data related to the driving experience and infotainment with data from the vehicle's electronics and electrical system and the BMW cloud. Interaction between humans and vehicles can be tailored even more closely to the driving situation and individual needs, enabling a totally new perception of mobility.
Manufactured at the new plant in Debrecen entirely without fossil fuels and with much wider use of raw and secondary materials produced with reduced CO2, the Neue Klasse will also provide significant impetus for resource-efficient individual mobility.
In addition to highly efficient electric motors, major advances in the new BMW eDrive technology include newly developed round battery cells, with more than 20% higher energy density than that of the prismatic cells previously used. The sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology will improve the charging speed for Neue Klasse models by up to 30% and boost their range by up to 30%.
Colin Windell - proudly CHANGECARS
