The “Neue Klasse” at BMW is celebrating a brilliant comeback. Today, BMW CEO Zipse revealed the “New Class” plans under which the company intends to group together particularly innovative models with electric drives in the future. The Neue Klasse will be characterized by three key aspects: a completely redefined IT and software architecture, a new generation of high-performance electric drivetrains and batteries and a radically new approach to sustainability across the entire vehicle life cycle.
“The BMW Group is never satisfied with what it has achieved so far – that’s what sets it apart from the rest of the field. This spirit will characterise the Neue Klasse: high tech on four wheels for customers intent on experiencing in just five years’ time how mobility will feel in 2030,” said Oliver Zipse.
The completely new architecture uses highly scalable construction kits that can represent a wide range of vehicles for very different target groups. At the top of the “New Class” will be an exclusive high-performance electric car from BMW M for the first time.
The Neue Klasse promises significant leaps in terms of low electricity consumption, with the ultimate aim of matching the range and manufacturing cost of state-of-the-art combustion engines. The completely newly developed, highly integrated high-voltage storage concept with optimized cell design is intended to bring the production costs of the next generation of electric cars on a par with conventionally powered models.
Furthermore, BMW hints at products with significantly larger interior space and completely new possibilities in terms of aerodynamics. In addition to pure electric drives, BMW will also bring series vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells onto the market, as part of the New Class.
The BMW New Class (Neue Klasse) was the savior of the BMW brand in the 1960s with a new line of sedans and coupes produced between 1962 and 1977. These models ensured BMW’s solvency after the company’s financial crisis of the 1950s. So BMW aims to use a similar strategy to take the company into the next decade.
