After years of increasingly polarizing design choices, BMW appears to be hitting the reset button with a design (and philosophical) shift that could reconnect the brand with its roots—all while going electric.
With the forthcoming Neue Klasse family of electric vehicles, the Bavarian automaker is poised to reintroduce some long-lost fundamentals—short overhangs, clean lines, and interiors designed around the driver. The shift isn’t just cosmetic. It represents a deeper philosophical change for the brand that will even extend to combustion powered cars.
The Road Back to Driving Purity
BMW has long marketed itself as the purveyor of the “Ultimate Driving Machine,” but recent models haven’t always lived up to that billing—at least in the eyes of purists. While many of the brand’s latest offerings are objectively competent and technologically advanced, they often lack the cohesion and clarity that defined the best of BMW’s past work. Vehicles like the front-wheel-drive-based 2 Series Gran Coupe, though capable, have drawn criticism for straying too far from the brand’s traditional identity of rear wheel drive based vehicles.
That’s now set to change with the Neue Klasse platform and its Gen6 architecture. With this new approach all new BMW EVs will be either rear wheel drive or all wheel drive with a rear wheel drive bias. That not only will provide optimal packaging for future products but aligns with BMW’s traditional dynamic values.
Design Cues That Actually Matter
BMW seems well aware of recent design criticism. Designers and engineers regularly cite the E21, E30, and E46 as inspirations, and the company’s Neue Klasse design direction draws heavily from that lineage.
The Vision Neue Klasse and Vision Neue Klasse X concepts point toward a recalibration of proportions and purpose. It would appear that BMW’s classic traits are back: cab-rearward design, crisp surfaces, and shorter overhangs that hint at improved dynamics. Sightlines are better, pillars are slimmer, and the beltline is lower, giving drivers a more commanding view of the road.
These aren’t just aesthetic improvements—they have practical consequences. By taking advantage of the packaging freedoms of EV platforms, BMW has managed to create cars that look more compact and balanced, even if their actual footprints don’t shrink dramatically. In a world where nearly every vehicle grows with each generation, that’s no small feat.
That said, it’s not a wholesale return to the past. Chrome trim has been largely eliminated in favor of gloss black elements and light-based details. It’s a cleaner, more modern look, and while it may not appeal to everyone, it does bring cohesion and a more modern identity to BMW’s future lineup.
Infotainment Rethought
Inside, the biggest shift may be the next-generation iDrive system, anchored by what BMW calls “Panoramic Vision.” Rather than filling the cabin with ever-larger screens, BMW is repositioning critical information farther up, closer to the driver’s line of sight. A wide, head-up-like display spans the windshield, joined by a trapezoidal control screen angled toward the driver. The goal is to reduce distraction and enhance clarity.
From a usability standpoint, this could be a welcome correction. BMW’s previous iDrive iterations, while advanced, have sometimes been criticized for burying functionality behind too many layers of UI. Whether the new setup truly balances simplicity and capability remains to be seen—but at least the philosophy is shifting in a promising direction.
Internal Combustion Isn’t Left Behind
While the Neue Klasse platform is EV-first, its influence will extend to BMW’s ICE models as well. Future internal combustion cars, likely built on a revised version of the existing CLAR platform, will adopt many of the same design and tech elements—especially the new infotainment interface and updated design language.
This move will help create a unified visual and experiential language across the brand. That could pay dividends in brand clarity—something BMW hasn’t always had in recent years.
What’s Coming and When
Here’s how the Neue Klasse rollout is expected to unfold:
2025/2026: First Neue Klasse EVs—the i3 sedan and iX3 crossover—enter production.
2027: Neue Klasse-based iX1 joins the lineup. Rumors suggest a MINI Countryman EV could follow suit.
2027: The electric M3 (project code ZA0) arrives.
2028: i4 Coupe and Convertible land, alongside a smaller i1 model.
Before 2030: A larger i5 is expected to round out the Neue Klasse offerings.
Our Take
There’s a lot riding on Neue Klasse—not just in terms of electrification, but in how BMW defines itself moving forward. While it would be unrealistic to expect a full return to the analog purity of an E30, the shift in priorities—from form over function, to function informing form again—is promising.
It’s too early to declare victory. Performance, pricing, and the real-world execution of these concepts will ultimately determine whether BMW can recapture the magic. But at least for now, the right questions are being asked—and the answers are beginning to look familiar.