New BMW concept provides glimpse of future iX3 electric SUV

The 2026 BMW iX3 has been previewed with the unveiling of the Vision Neue Klasse X concept, ahead of its public debut at the Beijing motor show next month.

Using BMW's new-generation design language – first previewed on the i Vision Dee concept in January 2023, and later on the Vision Neue Klasse concept sedan – the Neue Klasse X is expected to form the basis for the next iX3 electric SUV, due to launch in the second half of 2025.

The designs are a departure from the brand's current range of vehicles, which have been widely criticised for their oversized grilles and arguably disproportionate shapes.

According to BMW Group's Design Director, Adrian van Hooydonk, all future 'X' badged SUVs from the German car maker will feature upright 'kidney' grilles – as previewed on this latest SUV concept, borrowing from models from the 1980s – rather than the wide integrated grilles shown on the i Vision Dee.

Van Hooydonk says BMW will adopt LED lights where chrome would previously feature.

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"The BMW Vision Neue Klasse X provides a look ahead to the X models of the Neue Klasse," van Hooydonk said during a presentation.

"The X models will always remain strong in character: monolithic, clean and with a very distinctive vertical interpretation of the BMW light signature."

The Vision Neue Klasse X – with 'Neue Klasse' translating to English as 'New Class' – also includes signature BMW design elements such as the 'Hofmeister Kink', which traditionally refers to the shape of the glass at the bottom of the C- or D-pillar.

In this case, BMW has emphasised the shape using a "reflective print" on the rear pillar.

The doors on the concept are frameless, with the handles relocated as 'wings' at the bottom of the glass – hidden in plain sight, in a similar way to the original Ferrari Dino.

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Inside, BMW has employed a minimalistic theme, doing away with the centre control stack in favour of a large infotainment touchscreen, which includes controls for the air-conditioning system.

The new-generation iDrive system will be fully customisable by each driver.

Closer to the eyeline of the driver is the instrument cluster, referred to as BMW Panoramic Vision, which projects information onto the lower part of the windscreen and spans the width of the glass.

Driving the Vision Neue Klasse X is BMW's sixth-generation battery technology, which the company claims has 20 per cent more energy density than the previous generation batteries – helping to increase driving range by up to 30 per cent compared with today's models.

An 800-volt system also improves charging speed by up to 30 per cent, allowing 300 kilometres of driving range to be obtained in just 10 minutes of charging.

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The battery technology will also allow bi-directional charging – allowing the vehicle to not only take charge, but provide electricity to homes and grid infrastructure.

Managing its future electric vehicles will be four new electronic control units, which BMW refers to as "super brains," which it says offer up to ten times more computer power as well as providing a "quantum leap in automated driving".

While BMW didn't refer to the iX3 by name, it suggested the first model to make its debut based on the Neue Klasse vehicle architecture would be the mid-size electric SUV, with production to ramp up in the second half of 2025.

The Neue Klasse-based 3 Series will follow the iX3, with "at least six Neue Klasse models" to be launched before the end of 2027.