BMW’s first pure-electric car with a claimed range between charges of 500 miles will go on sale next year after the German firm revealed its all-new iX3 SUV.
Although this iX3 replaces an existing model, BMW says its introduction is seismic and marks a new era for the brand, as the first of its Neue Klasse range. The term was first employed for a set of models in the 1960s that helped the German brand climb out of financial turmoil. This time around it could be seen as an equally vital reset after several years of cars that have not been loved for their designs.
But the Neue Klasse doesn’t just usher in a new aesthetic approach, BMW believes it marks a quantum leap in terms of technology and sustainability. Some 40 new vehicles and model updates between now and 2027 will incorporate the Neue Klasse design direction and technologies.
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The BMW iX3 50 xDrive’s impressive range has been achieved by various means. Fitting a huge battery, with a useable energy capacity of 108.7kWh, is obviously key, but a body that is as slippery through the air as a Tesla Model S, alongside new-generation electrical systems — governed by four “superbrains”, including one for the driving dynamics called Heart of Joy — have also greatly increased efficiency, according to the German marque.
