- BMW has delivered a sneak peek at the new i3 sedan at the Munich IAA show.
- The sedan was rumoured to revive the i3 name, but now the company has confirmed it.
- The original i3 was launched in 2013 and was BMW's first series production EV.
BMW snuck in a little teaser after revealing its all-important new iX3 late last week.
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse introduced the second model from its Neue Klasse group, the i3 sedan. While it had been rumoured to adopt that name, this was the first time it was publicly acknowledged.
Covered in camouflage, the production model looks to have toned down some elements from the Vision Neue Klasse concept from 2023, like the little spoiler lip on the boot, but if the iX3 is anything to go by, expect it to retain a number of elements from the concept.
The i3 will be the next model from the Neue Klasse architecture, and it will arrive ahead of the next-generation 3 Series. They will eventually sell alongside each other, but the all-electric i3 will arrive first.
Zipse said the model is coming in 2026, but given the European on-sale date is closer to quarter three next year, it may not reach our shores until early 2027.
While the i3 is underpinned by the hugely significant Neue Klasse architecture, the next-generation 3 Series will ride on an evolution of BMW’s CLAR platform (CLAR II) that already forms the basis of the 5 Series, 7 Series, iX and more.
The i3 name was used for BMW’s first mass-produced EV. It was a small, quirky, tallboy hatchback that was a niche offering until it was discontinued in 2022. The badge has also been used on a China-only electric version of the 3 Series. This new i3 is expected to be a much more mainstream offering from the German giant. A Touring wagon version is all but certain.
BMW has not revealed any mechanical details but the freshly revealed iX3 holds many clues. The only grade to be confirmed so far for the new SUV is the iX3 50 xDrive which features an electric motor on each axle for total outputs of 345kW and 645Nm and a driving range of up to 805km.
Neue Klasse will be rolled out to 40 new derivatives over the coming years and from 2027 it will have spread across the range. Derivatives means model variants as well as full model changes and it can also be rolled out to facelifts and updates too.
As well as the Neue Klasse design language, technology from the platform including digital functions like the Panoramic Vision projection that runs the width of the windscreen, will find their way to these other derivatives. So while the 40 derivatives might not be full Neue Klasse models they will feature at least some of the design and tech.
Six Neue Klasse models are coming within the next two years, but expect those to be more iX3 and i3 model grades.
As for what’s coming beyond i3, it is highly likely to be a smaller model.
Speaking with Australasian journalists at the iX3 reveal in Munich, Mike Reichelt, Head of BMW Neue Klasse ruled out a sports car based on Neue Klasse, but added that the biggest opportunity for the brand is smaller models.
“The start and the most relevant advantages are the compact and middle class. That in higher classes is not so relevant. The technology comes there. Is it a Neue Klasse model? Maybe not. But in the compact and middle class, the smallest car, It's really important to go to step…”
When asked by CarsGuide if the next full Neue Klasse model will be a new-gen 1 Series hatch or iX1 SUV, Reichelt simply responded with, “It's possible.”
- Tim Nicholson, managing editor.