BMW has multiple EVs across the range but none of them ride on a fully dedicated platform. The iX is more bespoke than the others but it too borrows from the CLAR architecture. The company’s first purpose-built electric car platform will be inaugurated in 2025. Leading the way will be this – the totally new iX3 crossover. Prototypes have now been caught on camera, all of which were seemingly carrying the final body panels.
Pictured here, the Vision Neue Klasse X we saw earlier this year is a window into the future of what BMW internally calls the “NA5.” The concept paves the way for a fresh design language with a minimalist approach that will continue inside. The next-gen electric crossover will usher in iDrive X with a central touchscreen and fewer buttons. It won’t even have a digital instrument cluster, although a dashboard-wide head-up display will take its place. “Less is more” seems to be the motto these days in Munich.
However, the fresh styling inside and out won’t be the only major changes compared to the CLAR-based iX3 currently on sale. BMW is hyping up its Gen6 batteries with cylindrical cells. To be manufactured at five factories around the world, the new batteries will boost energy density by 20%. The German luxury automaker claims charging speed and range should increase by 30%. This electric crossover is rumored to offer as much as 800 kilometers (nearly 500 miles) on a single charge in the WLTP cycle.
Unlike today’s iX3 made in China, its successor will roll off the assembly line at BMW’s new factory in Debrecen. The Hungarian plant will commence production of the EV in the second half of 2025. Deliveries to customers should start near the end of next year or early 2026. The current CLAR-based model isn’t sold in the United States but that could change with its replacement.
If you’re willing to sacrifice some of the practicality for a sleeker profile, we’re hearing a swoopy iX4 is planned with a gently sloped roofline. It should arrive sometime in 2027, following an i3 sedan confirmed for a 2026 launch. Another Neue Klasse product we believe is planned is an i3 Touring catering to the wagon-loving crowd. BMW has said it’ll have at least six NK-based models on the market by 2028. However, some are likely to be exclusive to China.
Source: NCars / YouTube