New concept is vision of BMW's all-EV future CARAME

The 3 Series-sized saloon previews a new design language, electric powertrain developments and an overhauled interior layout

- FELIX PAGE

The new Vision Neue Klasse concept gives the best look yet at BMW's all-electric future, previewing a dramatic change in exterior and interior design direction alongside the introduction of highly advanced drivetrain technology.

By the end of 2023, BMW will have an electric car on sale in each of its core market segments, and it aims for more than a quarter of its global sales to be electric by 2025, rising to a third just a year later.

Now well on the way to achieving those goals with its current fleet of electric saloons and SUVs, BMW is shifting its focus to the launch of a radical new family of EVs.

It has dubbed this *Neue Klasse' as a reference to the family of brand-reshaping premium saloons and coupés that it launched in the 1960s.

BMW will launch six or seven Neue Klasse EVs from 2025 to 2027, although not all of them will be based on the same platform.

The first is set to be a striking 3 Series-sized saloon, a direct rival for the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 - and while BMW bosses said this new Vision Neue Klasse concept doesn't directly preview a production car, it's understood that it gives strong clues about what to expect from this pioneering EV.

Beneath the skin, the new saloon - and its closely related range-mates - will be almost completely unrelated to BMW's current crop of EVs, and this technological revolution will be signalled by a totally new design treatment that does away with many established hallmarks and reinterprets others for the new era.

BMW design director Domagoj Dukec - who has been outspoken in recent years about his belief that the company's designs must be at once striking and, to an extent, polarising - suggested that this change in approach will be no less than transformative for the German manufacturer.