BMW Group has revealed fresh details about its much-anticipated Neue Klasse (New Class) family of EVs at its annual conference yesterday.
Starting with the manufacturing timetable, the automaker said it would start production of at least six Neue Klasse models across its global production network in the first 24 months after the first vehicle will have rolled out the assembly line.
That's quite an aggressive launch timetable for the Neue Klasse family, certainly more aggressive than expected. The countdown for the 24 months will start from the second half of 2025, when the start of standard production of the first Neue Klasse model will take place at BMW's new plant in Debrecen, Hungary. The site will exclusively produce Neue Klasse vehicles.
From 2026 on, the carmaker will manufacture Neue Klasse models at its more than 100-year-old main plant in Munich, Germany. The facility is currently undergoing a comprehensive modernization to prepare for Neue Klasse production.
Gallery: BMW i Vision Dee Concept
Standard production of the Neue Klasse will also begin at BMW Group's plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, from 2027. The company is investing $849 million (800 million euros) to integrate fully-electric models and build a local high-voltage battery assembly at the site.
Besides these three plants, BMW will announce further Neue Klasse production sites shortly. The automaker said its new EV model family will debut with a Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) and a sedan in today's 3 Series segment. It is unclear whether both will be made at the Debrecen plant or only one of them.
Based on a BEV-only architecture and featuring a new design language, BMW's Neue Klasse will have three main characteristics: a completely newly developed wiring harness with a fundamentally new UX/UI concept, an all-new, high-performance generation of electric drive trains and batteries with significant efficiency improvements, and a new level of sustainability throughout the lifecycle.
The carmaker also said the BMW i Vision Dee concept's advanced Head-Up Display projecting information across the entire width of the windshield will be available for the very first time as "BMW Panoramic Vision" in Neue Klasse models from 2025.
BMW will present further steps and new details on the road to the Neue Klasse at IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich (September 5-10).
