BMW ix3

All-new platform, drivetrain, battery and digital interface: the brand's electric reboot starts here

- GREG KABLE

BMW's Neue Klasse isn't just a new platform - it draws a line in the sand for how the brand designs, builds and powers its electric cars.

I've come to BMW's Miramas proving ground in the south of France to drive prototypes of the first Neue Klasse model: the all-new iX3 SUV. So today marks our first chance to discover whether this rival for the Audi Q6 E-tron and upcoming electric Mercedes-Benz GLC (see p6) delivers on the promise that BMW has been building over the past two years.

Said promise has unfolded through a series of concept cars. First came the i Vision Dee, a compact saloon exploring new ideas about digital interaction. Then the Vision Neue Klasse saloon heralded a dramatic new design direction. Next the Vision Neue Klasse X clearly previewed the new iX3 and its Panoramic iDrive system. And most recently the Vision Driving Experience, a quad-motor saloon, lifted the lid on the performance technology of future M cars. Now, after all that build-up, here comes the reality.

The significance of the Neue Klasse platform shouldn't be underestimated. Since the 2013 launch of BMW's first series-production EV, the i3, each new one has been based on a shared platform originally engineered to support combustion engines. That includes the original iX3, launched in 2020 on BMW's CLAR platform - flexible, yes, but not conceived for full electrification.

The Neue Klasse changes that. It's a clean-sheet design, and BMW has invested more than £1.7 billion in its development. More than half of that has gone into an all-new production plant in Debrecen, Hungary, where the new iX3 will enter series production later this year.

It will be the basis for at least six new EVs by 2028, including the eagerly awaited electric 3 Series - set to take the i3 name next year. But it all begins with the iX3.