BMW has an impressively comprehensive lineup that’s about to get even larger. The Neue Klasse family of dedicated EVs will include at least six cars by the end of 2028. Sure, one of them will be a replacement for the current CLAR-based iX3, but the others will be additional members. To bring those cars to the market, the German luxury brand is pouring billions into research and development.
In the first six months of the year alone, the BMW Group spent a whopping €4.17 billion on R&D. It’s a significant increase over the January-June 2023 interval when it invested €3.4 billion. The higher costs are mostly generated by greater expenditure on the engineering of other Neue Klasse EVs. By “other,” we mean those aside from the already confirmed iX3 crossover coming in late 2025 and the i3 sedan due in 2026. Our sources have told us that there will be an i3 Touring and an iX4, plus China-specific models.
In addition, work is well underway for the next-generation X5. BMW mentions some of the money is being poured into the development of the “G65.” For the first time ever, the original luxury SUV from Bavaria is widely believed to get a fully electric derivative. Also on the CLAR architecture, the iX5 is expected to arrive together with the gasoline, diesel, and plug-in hybrid models in mid-2026. The iX5 will likely indirectly replace the iX.
The iX5 is highly unlikely to be the only new CLAR-based electric vehicle from BMW. We strongly believe there will be an iX6 as well and even a larger, potentially three-row iX7. The two additional SUVs, codenamed “G66” and “G67” respectively, will likely come after 2026. All three should be assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina alongside their ICE counterparts.
Elsewhere, BMW claims some of the money it spent in the first half of the year went into the development of automated driving technologies. Moreover, the investment also covered “cross-series digitalization,” so new software to be shared across the lineup.
Source: BMW