Details on BMW’s new all-electric entry-level model remain scarce. During the event, the company limited itself to stating that the BMW Group aims to “strategically expand the high-volume entry segment with another fully electric model of the Neue Klasse in 2028”, focusing on the European market. This means that a compact model will benefit, for the first time, from the innovations of the Neue Klasse.
Speculation suggests this could be the BMW i1, internally called NB0, as reported by BMW-focused blog “Bimmer Today.” In fact, as early as 2024, media reports emerged claiming that BMW was planning two electric compact models, the i1 and i2. As the British publication “Autocar” wrote at the time, the i1 could be offered as a compact hatchback or a compact sedan, depending on the market. However, no further details regarding the body style have been confirmed to date.
BMW will present the iX4 later this year
Following the launch of the Neue Klasse platform technologies (first with the iX3 all-electric SUV and more recently with the i3 all-electric saloon), a presentation at Capital Market Day revealed that the all-electric iX4 will also be introduced later this year. It is expected to be an electric SUV coupe similar to the iX3, which will likely also be produced in Debrecen, Hungary. The previous X3 with a combustion engine also had an SUV coupe variant called the X4.
At the same time, BMW highlights that the Neue Klasse offers “competitive technology across the entire portfolio and in all drive types”, which means that at least some components will also be used in hybrid and combustion engine vehicles.
With the first models of the Neue Klasse, BMW believes it has also laid the foundation for the next generation of digital vehicles. The new zonal electrical/electronic architecture will be implemented in all vehicle segments in the future. This approach aims to reduce complexity, take advantage of economies of scale, and make new features available to customers more quickly.
On the road to the “AI-defined vehicle”
According to the Munich-based automaker, the Neue Klasse already demonstrates how smart software and artificial intelligence optimize the customer experience. These technologies form the ideal basis for the next evolutionary step: the “AI-defined vehicle”. In this concept, the focus will no longer be on individual functions, but on the intuitive interaction of the entire vehicle, contextually in all areas. From driver assistance to infotainment and basic comfort functions, all systems will interact fluidly and intelligently, depending on the situation.
BMW management already considers the Neue Klasse to be a complete success just a few months after its market launch: as reported, the iX3 has already received more than 100,000 orders and more than 30,000 units delivered to date. Order books for the iX3 remain full well into the second quarter of 2027. Additionally, in key markets, the iX3 has already achieved margin parity with combustion engine models, according to the company.
bmwgroup.com, autocar.co.uk, bimmertoday.de (rumor i1 – in German), bmwgroup.com (presentations – in German)
