New BMW Neue Klasse Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info

Join us for a bit of time travel back to the 1961 Frankfurt motor show, where BMW is displaying its cutting-edge Neue Klasse saloon. From its shark nose kidney grille to its boxy shape and the signature reverse cut windowline – the now-legendary ‘Hofmeister kink’ – the Neue Klasse introduced a styling language and format that still defines BMWs to this day. Just as forward-thinking under the skin, there were apparently queues of half an hour just to get close enough for a proper look, a buzz BMW is hoping to rekindle with its latest and much-hyped Neue Klasse.
Like its 60s namesake, the Neue Klasse you see here is more than just a concept and is intended as a template for an entirely new generation of BMWs. Little wonder the brand is making something of a song and dance about it, then. Here’s why it matters. • Reinvents BMW’s classic design language for a new electric era • Super clean styling • Sixth-generation electric tech, with claimed 30 per cent increase in range, 30 per cent faster charging and efficiency improved by 25 per cent • Increased use of recycled raw materials in construction • ‘Panoramic Vision’ projects information across whole windscreen for both driver and passenger • Next generation iDrive promises a closer interface between real and virtual worlds

The ‘Vision’ part of the Neue Klasse name dictates this is still a concept for now. But its reinterpretation of the 60s original for the modern age looks to the future as much as it celebrates the past. Given the popularity of SUVs and crossovers in BMW’s current range it feels a brave move to hark back to more traditional saloons as well. But the return to themes of sportiness and elegance should hopefully go down well, both with BMW’s traditional fans and a new generation of younger car buyers. It’s full of neat touches as well, including a fully interactive grille that ‘welcomes’ you as you approach and a version of the E Ink system BMW has teased previously to actively highlight where you interact with the car to unlock and open it. Will this finally make production? We’ll have to wait and see!

The all-electric iX has already shown BMW’s direction of travel with its interiors, the minimalist combination of screens, textured materials and technology taken to the next level with the Neue Klasse. Physical switches have been reduced to a minimum, BMW saying the new Panoramic Vision screen will be as important a step for car interiors as the rotary iDrive controller introduced on the 7 Series two decades back. It projects driving information across the entire windscreen with, we’d guess, augmented reality for navigation and the like. You’ll interact with it via gesture or voice, apparently.

No hard facts yet, but BMW’s in-house developed hybrid and electric technology is already among the best in the business. The Neue Klasse’s motor and battery system will use the firm’s sixth-generation technology, with claims of better range, faster charging and increased efficiency from a new battery design.

It’s still too early to talk about when the Neue Klasse may be on sale, or how much it will cost when it is. But, if we’re reading this right, this concept will form the basis for a new generation of BMWs replacing the 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series saloons that have been at the core of the line-up for decades.

The Neue Klasse may be some way off yet, and indeed new versions of the cars it will eventually replace are still only just coming on stream. These include the all-important new 5 Series and its pure electric i5 derivative.

In a fast changing industry it’s a little hard to predict exactly what the Neue Klasse will be up against when it finally launches but you can consider this BMW’s opening salvo against whatever Tesla replaces the Model 3 with, and the growing threat from an increasingly competitive Chinese car industry. With the weight of BMW’s future on its shoulders it’s safe to say the Neue Klasse has a big job ahead of it but speaks to a degree of self-confidence about how the brand sees itself in the new automotive era.