BMW Neue Klasse will include SUVs too

As with today’s BMW EV line-up, the Neue Klasse will include a range of SUVs in varying market segments – beginning in 2026 with an iX3-sized model to rival the Audi Q6 E-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC SUV.

BMW design director Domagoj Dukec previously told Autocar: “The three-box is something we strongly believe in, and in the Neue Klasse there will be some products [like this]. But of course we also do SUVs, and there is a need for SUVs in the future.”

The first of these new-era SUVs will be closely related to the 3 Series-sized saloon, and while that car is said to be 20% more efficient than its predecessor, the SUV will boost that to 25% – suggesting a range of 360 miles, as the iX3’s is 286.

Being able to charge at rates of up to 270kW, meanwhile, will ensure it competes effectively with its similarly revolutionary German rivals, and BMW’s slimmer next-generation batteries should make for an interior that’s tangibly roomier than that of the ICE-platform-based iX3.

Next iX3 will have far better powertrain and packaging.