Rumors have long circulated about BMW’s supercar ambitions. Over the past decade and a half, at least a dozen supercar designs were conceived, yet none saw the light of day due to unfavorable business cases. Among these was the BMW i16, a near-reality project that was ultimately shelved by the cautious board. However, BMW’s focus has shifted toward the hypercar market, moving away from the plug-in hybrid ethos of the i16. Whispers now suggest a new supercar design has been crafted and is awaiting approval. Unfortunately, insider sources indicate that this supercar has yet to receive the green light for production.
Future Neue Klasse Supercar?
Enter the secretive Neue Klasse prototype, recently spotted in public. Though heavily camouflaged, several striking features are discernible. The prototype boasts a two-door classic layout, a distinctive shark nose, short overhangs, and a sloping roofline culminating in a tailgate which sits above the beltline. The front end clearly adheres to the Neue Klasse design language, characterized by a “phygital” aesthetic and minimalist elements. Notably, the traditional kidney grille has been replaced by two vertical lights, yet maintaining the iconic dual-headlamp look through this new duality.
The rear continues this trend with slim taillights divided at the trunk’s center. The side profile is marked by a prominent rocker panel that visually lowers the car’s height. Interestingly, the prototype deviates from typical supercar norms with its higher ground clearance, echoing design cues from the M1, M Vision Next, and X Coupe Concept. This aligns perfectly with what BMW designers have been advocating for years: “If we were to build a new supercar, we want it to break away from the traditional hypercar aesthetics.” This new design signals BMW’s intent to introduce something fresh to the market. Yet, many details remain hidden under the camouflage, especially at the rear, which may differ in the production model.
Neue Klasse Architecture Can Deliver Up to 1350 horsepower
Of course, the drivetrain will most likely be fully electric and we’ve heard in that past that BMW is not ruling out cars that could deliver over 1,000 hp. We’ve already learned from the BMW R&D boss that the new architecture can accommodate a power output of 1 megawatt (1341 hp). All these details remain confidential, and it’s unlikely we’ll learn more anytime soon. For now, BMW is concentrating on launching the upcoming iX3 (NA5), followed by the new i3 (NA0).
We’re not getting our hopes up just yet, as we’ve seen this scenario play out before. Every time a car seemed destined for production, it was ultimately canceled for various reasons. However, this project appears to be the most promising supercar/hypercar venture we’ve seen in a while.
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com