BMW BOSS: COMPLEXITY IS THE SECRET TO SUCCESS

CEO explains reimagined Neue Klasse plan at Munich show iX3 reveal

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The new BMW iX3 represents the start of the most ambitious product rollout in the firm's history. It is the first of the new-generation Neue Klasse models and sits on a bespoke new EV platform, but it also features an advanced software system and HMI (human-machine interface) setup, plus a new design language that will be swiftly rolled out across the company's entire range, regardless of powertrain.

BMW boss Oliver Zipse spoke to Autocar at the iX3's unveiling to explain why the firm has gambled on such an ambitious plan.

In the 1960s Neue Klasse was introduced to help turn around a company that was in crisis. That isn’t the case today, so why a new Neue Klasse?

"The historic connotation does not refer to the overall company situation but what that car did for the company. It was a new design language, new technology, it was the first time we launched a car in between the upper segment and the lower segment. It redefined what BMW stands for. The term 'joy of driving' was coined during this time, and it is still true today. This is not a company saviour, because we're not in crisis, but the intention is very similar. It's not only one car; it's a complete new set of technology competence for every car in the future. We reused the term because it worked once. Why shouldn't it work twice?