By Cam Tait \/ Saturday, 2 September 2023 \/ Loading comments<\/p>\n
BMW is going through a major change. You might have heard. We already know that the current M2 is going to be the last M car powered purely by internal combustion, and we also know Munich\u2019s performance division is working on a fully electric model that\u2019s due well before the end of the decade. But what comes after all the Ms, Xs and Series cars make the switch to battery power? Well, BMW reckons it\u2019ll be something a bit like its new Vision Neue Klasse.<\/p>\n
For starters, the firm has clearly softened its approach to vehicle styling, with the Neue Klasse iterating on the funky design language first seen on the i Vision Dee concept earlier this year. All the major BMW design cues are present, with the Hofmeister kink well and truly back after years of watering down, while the kidney \u2018grilles\u2019 are represented as two horizontal panels that simulate the depth of real vents. Meanwhile, the 21-inch wheels not only serve as a nod to BMW Motorsport wheels of old, but also help reduce drag. Granted, it won\u2019t be to everyone\u2019s taste, but we\u2019ll take this over an XM any day. In fact, the company says the style incorporates \u2018just a few distinctive lines\u2019, a radical departure from pretty much everything to come out of Munich over the past few years.<\/p>\n
Peeling back the \u2018almost monolithic\u2019 skin exposes all-new electric architecture and some mighty clever battery technology. BMW says it has developed a new sort of \u2018round battery\u2019 that is 20 per cent more efficient than the \u2018prismatic cells\u2019 found on current electric cars. This is said to improve charging speeds and range by 30 per cent. Beyond that, the company claims that it has optimised weight and rolling resisted, along with heat management, to help eke out more juice from the batteries to power its next-generation eDrive system.<\/p>\n
Inside, the Neue Klasse is standard concept car fare, which is to say there\u2019s a lot of cutting-edge tech on display that screams \u2018embrace the future\u2019. The big feature here is BMW\u2019s new \u2018Panoramic Vision\u2019, which projects information into the driver\u2019s sightline and, in an (alleged) industry first, right across the width of the windscreen. Both the driver and front passenger can interact with the virtual display, and it can be customised using the Neue Klasse\u2019s large centre touchscreen.<\/p>\n
It’s here where things start to get a bit peculiar. In keeping with current EV trends, the Neue Klasse\u2019s core interior settings are all accessed through the central tablet display. BMW says its \u2018tried-and-tested\u2019 Intelligent Personal Assistant will be on hand if talking at your car is something you\u2019re comfortable with, though you can thankfully get by using the virtual buttons on the steering wheel or interacting directly with the screen. The whole system is powered by a new generation of iDrive, which gathers all sorts of data on the car and your driving habits to, ahem, bolster the \u2018interaction between human and vehicle.\u2019 Frankly, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m ready for that sort of commitment.<\/p>\n
Of course – just in case you couldn\u2019t tell – the Neue Klasse itself isn\u2019t destined for the production line. However, it does preview a new range of six EVs, ranging from saloons to SUVs, that’ll launch over a 24-month period starting in 2025. \u201cWith the Neue Klasse, we have embarked on the biggest investment in the company\u2019s history. We are not just writing the next chapter of BMW; we\u2019re writing a whole new book. That\u2019s why the Neue Klasse will certainly impact all model generations\u201d, says company board member Frank Weber. Whatever gets us away from those monster grilles, Frank…<\/p>\n