Demand Surges for Neue Klasse Pioneer as BMW Ramps Up Production in Hungary
BMW has a problem. The good kind. The all-new, all-electric iX3, the first production model riding on BMW’s next-generation Neue Klasse platform, is already close to being sold out for 2026. And that’s before a single customer delivery has officially begun.
Unveiled at IAA Mobility in Munich last September, the iX3 has quickly become a breakout hit. It now accounts for roughly one-third of all fully electric BMW orders in Europe. According to the company, many customers locked in their orders without ever sitting in or driving the vehicle.
That’s not hype. It’s a signal. A major one.
At a recent handover event at BMW Welt in Munich, board member and sales chief Jochen Goller called customer interest “overwhelming.” In response, BMW is moving up plans to launch a second production shift at its Debrecen plant in Hungary. The factory only just came online and currently operates on a single shift. It was always designed to scale to three. It just didn’t expect to do it so quickly.
Neue Klasse: The Starting Line
The BMW iX3 is more than a product. It is a strategic reset. It marks the first application of Neue Klasse, BMW’s clean-sheet electric architecture that redefines what an electric BMW can be. Think better weight distribution, more efficient packaging, and lightning-fast 800-volt charging. The iX3 sets the tone for the brand’s electric future with a blend of performance, tech, and refinement that feels more focused than previous EV efforts.
Full customer deliveries begin March 7. A handful of early handovers have already taken place in Germany, mostly ceremonial events with a few high-visibility names grabbing the first keys.
Debrecen: BMW’s EV Ground Zero
This is not just about one vehicle. Debrecen is the first factory in BMW’s global network dedicated exclusively to electric vehicle production. At full capacity, it will produce up to 150,000 vehicles per year, although that target won’t be reached in 2026 as production ramps. Even so, BMW has confirmed that the majority of its iX3 production capacity for 2026 is already spoken for.
That level of demand has forced BMW to rethink its original timeline. The second shift will come online sooner than expected, helping reduce wait times and ease early supply bottlenecks.
Europe First, but Not for Long
The BMW iX3 is heading to China in the first half of 2026, giving BMW a key foothold in a highly competitive and fast-growing EV market. It will also anchor the company’s upcoming Neue Klasse expansion in the U.S., where BMW’s Spartanburg plant will begin production of NE-based vehicles later this year.
This is only the beginning. BMW is preparing to launch the all-electric i3 sedan, the spiritual EV successor to the 3 Series, in the second half of 2026. It will be built in Munich and aims to blend traditional BMW sport sedan DNA with cutting-edge Neue Klasse tech. The 7 Series will also receive a significant update this year, incorporating core Neue Klasse systems into its existing structure.
The BimmerFile View
This is the moment BMW has been building toward. After years of transitional EVs and partial-platform solutions, the iX3 finally shows us what an electric BMW looks like when the handcuffs come off. It’s not a halo product. It’s not niche. It’s a volume mover, built to scale.
That it’s nearly sold out months before deliveries begin is more than encouraging. It’s vindication. For the engineers in Munich. For the believers in Spartanburg. And for the buyers who have been waiting for a no-compromise electric BMW.