Concept for next electric BMW 3 Series to be unveiled in September – report

German car-maker BMW will reportedly use next month’s Munich motor show to show off a new electric concept car which will influence the next-generation 3 Series sedan.

Automotive News Europe reports BMW CEO Oliver Zipse has confirmed the company’s third ‘Neue Klasse’ – or New Class – electric concept car will be unveiled next month, showcasing a “near production-ready” vehicle at the IAA Mobility show in Munich.

BMW’s Neue Klasse platform – which Mr Zipse said is “nothing less than the future of the BMW brand” – has previously been confirmed as the architecture for a new-generation, electric 3 Series and a mid-size SUV.

The electric model is expected to adopt the i3 nameplate – unrelated to BMW’s now-axed hatchback of the same name – while the 3 Series will continue with the option of petrol power for the foreseeable future. 

The two models will reportedly look almost identical and share a bulk of their components, though – at least initially – they are expected to be built in different factories.

Automotive News Europe reports the latest Neue Klasse concept car’s unveiling coincides with the 60th anniversary of the BMW 1800 entering production.

The BMW 1800 was the most popular model in the 1960s Neue Klasse range, with more than 140,000 examples sold between 1963 and 1971. It was later succeeded by the first-generation ‘E12’ 5 Series while its smaller siblings eventually became the ‘E21’ 3 Series.

Previous reports have suggested BMW’s Neue Klasse electric cars could be powered by battery packs between 75kWh and 150kWh, delivering up to 600km of driving range and 200kW to 1000kW of power.

BMW is due to reveal the electric concept car on 2 September 2023, ahead of the first Neue Klasse-based models going on sale overseas in 2025.