Neue Klasse was a series of cars that saved BMW in the 1960s and defined it as a manufacturer of sports sedans. After years, he will return, again as a pioneer of a new era.
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The BMW Group is another carmaker that presents ambitious plans in the field of electromobility. The Munich manufacturer will significantly accelerate the expansion of electrically powered models, when it wants to have 90% of the market segments covered by electrically powered models by 2023.
“We have a clear plan to make the transformation of our industry a real competitive advantage for BMW in the coming years: we will be uncompromisingly electric and digital,” says Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.
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This year will be marked by the expansion of electric cars. The existing BMW i3, BMW iX3 and Mini SE will be complemented by a new “technological flagship” during the year, SUV BMW iX and the four-door gran turismo BMW i4. The second of them will arrive three months earlier than originally planned.
In the coming years, there will be purely electric derivatives of the 5 Series and the X1 SUV, as well as electric versions of the new generation BMW 7 Series and the successor to the Mini Countryman. As a result, by 2023, the BMW Group will have at least one purely electric model in 90% of the market segments in which the Munich Group operates.
In the words of the carmaker, this is the second phase of the brand’s transformation, which is marked by the expansion of electric and hybrid drive across the brand’s offer. The first phase started by the way with the arrival of the BMW i eco-series, launched in 2011, through which the carmaker gradually gained experience with electric and plug-in hybrid drive.
The third phase will take place in 2025, when the broad BMW Group product line will be regrouped on the basis of the new “Neue Klasse”. An expression known from history of the carmakerwhen it came to a number of models that saved BMW in the 1960s and defined its current character, will be used for the next generation of cars.
Neue Klasse will feature a completely redefined IT and software architecture, a new generation of high-performance electric drives and batteries, and a new approach to sustainability throughout the vehicle’s life cycle. It is these key aspects that are taken into account in the completely new architecture optimized for purely electric drive. It will be highly modular, so it will be possible to use it in both high-volume models and high-performance specials of the BMW M division.
BMW promises a completely new user experience when the vehicle’s digital environment can be individually adapted to the needs of the customer or the target region. In addition, the new architecture will enable a new solution to the proportions of cars, from which BMW promises, for example, a more spacious cabin. Newly developed batteries with optimized cells are then to offer lower energy consumption, which will help the overall range, as well as reduce production costs. What’s more, the platform also counts on the possibility of hydrogen propulsion, so that the customer can choose the most suitable solution.
A key component of the new Neue Klasse will also be the use of recycled materials, whether plastics, aluminum or steel, which will help sustain production. “We want to ensure that the ‘greenest’ electric car on the market is manufactured by BMW,” says the carmaker’s chairman. At the same time, BMW wants to use the decades-long experience of producing the i3, on which sustainable materials are already being used.
In this third phase, the carmaker expects a gradual increase in the share of electric cars in its sales. Between 2025 and 2030, their share is set to increase sharply, resulting in a plan that by 2030, at least half of BMWs sold will be purely electric. As part of this plan, the Mini brand anticipates that by 2027, at least half of its sales will be electric cars. At the beginning of the 1930s, it wanted to sell only electric cars.
The carmaker emphasizes that the share of electric cars in sales will vary by region. At BMW, he believes well that in some markets he does not trust electricity as much as in Europe. At the same time, however, management adds that Mini will remain a globally represented brand, even though its future is fully electric.
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