NEW BMW iX3 UNVEILED AS NEUE KLASSE ERA DAWNS

SUV's advanced tech and all-new look set template for next-gen models

- JONATHAN BRYCE

BMW has revealed the new iX3, a car that represents the beginning of a bold new era of design, technology, drivability and production methods as the first of its Neue Klasse models.

Making its world debut at the Munich motor show, the new electric SUV - previewed by the Neue Klasse X concept in 2023 - is the result of a £17 billion investment and four years of development. It is seen by the firm as one of its most important model launches to date.

The new iX3 arrives at the same time as the Mercedes-Benz GLC EQ (see p12), a key rival in the most hotly contested new car segment as both manufacturers attempt to increase EV sales.

DESIGN

The arrival of the iX3 marks a key milestone in BMW's electric ambitions. The SUV ushers in an entirely new design that is described as “more BMW than ever”. It will directly influence the next 40 models from the brand.

BMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk told Autocar: “The task was to create a design language that is brand new and attractive to both people that don’t know us and to people that do know us - but also one that can be traced back to our history, to the ‘70s, even to the '60s. That's deliberate.”

Notably, the front of the new iX3 dispenses with the controversially large kidney grille of the previous era and replaces it with a new design that references Neue Klasse models from the '60s and '70s. The kidneys are also illuminated, rather than picked out in chrome, in an environmentally motivated move.

The design feature of narrow kidney grilles and headlights contained “as one graphical unit” is a nod to the BMW 2002 'Sharknose', said van Hooydonk.