BMW Vision Neue Klasse resets the company’s future electric strategy

One of the stars of this year’s IAA Mobility International Motor Show in Munich, BMW’s Vision Neue Klasse is a bold statement of the future of what was once the company’s core segment, the traditional saloon car. Once dominant, the ‘three box’ saloon’s popularity has been steadily eroded by the relentless rise of SUVs.

Vision Neue Klasse is a bold attempt to right the ship and give modern form to the visionary, forward-looking forms assembled by the likes of Wilhelm Hofmeister back in the 1960s and 1970s. ‘The design of the Neue Klasse is typically BMW and so progressive it looks like we skipped a model generation,’ says the current head of BMW Group Design, Adrian van Hooydonk.

The Vision car is a concept only, and BMW’s show cars are invariably a few steps removed from the resulting production model. That said, there’s nothing about this handsomely minimal machine that couldn’t be manufactured, and elements like the use of secondary raw materials and full electric power are pretty much standard features already.

The concept is also notable for its emphasis on key BMW design elements like the so-called ‘Hofmeister kink’, the curve on the C-pillar that has been an integral part of practically every BMW for half a century. It also presents a more coherent BMW kidney grille, bleeding the form into the full width of the frontal area, with integrated headlights and a pronounced central division.

The company stresses that every facet of this concept represents a sizeable advance, including ‘30 per cent more range, 30 per cent faster charging, [and] 25 per cent more efficiency’. Inside, there’s a new generation of BMW’s pioneering iDrive HMI working in harmony with ‘BMW Panoramic Vision’, a head-up display system that projects information across the entire width of the windscreen.

Elsewhere, the cabin is finished in typically minimal concept style, with yellow corduroy making a welcome change from traditional interior. The company notes that the absence of decorative leather and chrome is another obvious way of keeping the car’s carbon footprint as low as possible.

Why is this concept important? After squandering its impressive lead in electrification to its rivals, BMW knows it needs to re-set its EV strategy and ensure that manufacturing and innovation are perfectly aligned with a new design vision. This car points the way to next-generation mobility; expect elements of the Vision Neue Klasse to creep into BMW’s production vehicles over the next two to three years.

More information at BMW.co.uk