BMW teases upcoming generation with Vision Neue Klasse car

Even if its futuristic, almost otherworldly design doesn't suggest it, its name very well should.

BMW has just pulled the covers off the Vision Neue Klasse, and although the vehicle you see here is still a concept car, it's also the closest glimpse we've gotten yet to the firm's impending new generation of production cars. Officially dubbed the "Neue Klasse", BMW is aiming for the cars to hit the road by 2025. 

The younger petrolheads among us may not remember this, but this isn't the first time BMW has applied the term "Neue Klasse" to its cars (it translates literally to "New Class" in English). Its iconic sedans and coupes of the 1960s were also referred to as the new class, and revolutionised the brand by helping to establish BMW's identity as a maker of luxurious, sports sedans that were engaging to drive. 

BMW has similarly grand plans for its new New Class, and says that the cars - when properly launched - will testify to the firm's ability to "stay two steps ahead of the future".

For now, however, the Vision Neue Klasse is already giving us quite a clear idea of what that future will look like. It represents the culmination of the three core pillars that will define BMW's future - circularity, digitalisation and electrification - all of which were already previewed by the i Vision Circular, i Vision Dee and BMW's existing range of production i cars respectively. 

But beyond these (perhaps) more intangible qualities, what the Vision Neue Klasse does quite concretely is convey both the new design and interaction language that the actual Neue Klasse cars will try to serve.

Let's talk the design portion first, with which BMW says it is bridging the past and the future. 

Taking a design cue that's become absolutely definitive of BMWs, the Vision Neue Klasse reinterprets the iconic twin kidney grilles with twin kidney elements instead. Rather than stand alone in the centre - as they always have thus far - they now make up the entire front of the car. Within them, you'll also notice the firm's signature double head lights.

Come round to the side and the Vision Neue Klasse's "shark nose" front-end, low beltline, the "Hofmeister Kink" on its rear side windows, and its overall 2.5-box silhouette will become more apparent. 

Core to BMW's history, this sports sedan body style is thankfully here to stay even in the new era. When we spoke to members of the team in Munich earlier in June, we learned that the first Neue Klasse car would indeed take the form of a compact executive sedan - almost as a spiritual successor to the 3 Series - while the second car would take the form of a compact to mid-sized SUV.

It's not just about pushing the envelope in design, though. 

Since the Neue Klasse cars will also be underpinned by circularity as a core pillar, the firm's process of crafting the Vision Neue Klasse was also executed with more sustainable manufacturing practices in mind.

Besides progressing aesthetically and materially from the BMW's we've always known, the Vision Neue Klasse is also supposed to serve as a canvas of heightened interactivity - so that the car feels more emotive, and in some ways, even alive. 

While it's unclear if this will make it to production, the depth effect created by additional light elements embedded within the kidney elements is supposed to give off a layered visual impression. 

These layers can then be activated to varying degrees with 3D animations depending on various scenarios: To depict the car waking up slowly as you're walking towards it, or to inform you about its state of charge. 

Finally, extra interactivity also comes with the application of the E-Ink first seen on the BMW iX Flow and the i Vision Dee, which feature in the exterior welcome scenario. 

Speaking of the i Vision Dee, the technological party piece of the Vision Neue Klasse is a digital feature that was already actually previewed on the former - and that will be integral to the next generation of BMW iDrive.

For such a future-oriented car, you won't notice the same level of large screen-craziness here as we have on some other cars already available today. Instead, digitalisation takes the form of a Panoramic Vision Display, spanning the entire width of the car's windscreen. (On a production level, the Display will be made possible by lowering the car's dashboard.) 

With its sheer width and ability to display multiple widgets at once, BMW says both the driver and front passenger will be able to interact with the Panoramic Vision Display for a "shared user experience". This will be integrated neatly with a Central Display angled towards the driver, who can move widgets across both displays seamlessly. 

The unorthodox setup has also given BMW freedom to - quite literally - reinvent the wheel. Since the driver's field of vision is now more elevated than before, the Vision Neue Klasse's multifunction steering wheel features spokes at the six and 12 o'clock positions instead - allowing drivers to rest their thumbs at the three and nine o'clock points instead for optimum comfort.

In all, BMW says these design choices are rooted in its commitment to making the driving experience central to the Neue Klasse cars, by better enabling drivers to keep their hands on the wheel, and eyes on the road. 

While we don't have official powertrain figures for any of the Neue Klasse members, BMW has promised that the cars will be its most energy-efficient ones yet - from both road-going and manufacturing standpoints.

Production of the Neue Klasse is set to be carried out exclusively at a new plant in Debrecen, which will rely entirely on renewable energy, and also incorporate a higher level of secondary materials. 

BMW says it will break ground yet again with newly-developed round battery cells which have a 20 per cent higher energy density than the prismatic cells in use today. Combined with concerted efforts to improve vital energy-consuming factors - its weight, air and rolling resistance, and heat management - the sixth-generation eDrive technology will boost both range and charging speeds in the Neue Klasse by up to 30 per cent. 

The BMW Vision Neue Klasse will be unveiled for the first time in public at the IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich, set to take place from Sept 5 to 10, 2023.

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.