The Vision Neue Klasse X is a huge deal for BMW since it previews the brand’s first dedicated electric car platform, a fresh design language, and next-generation battery technology. It also brings aerodynamic improvements, along with brakes and tires specifically conceived for EVs for better efficiency. One feature of less importance but interesting to see inside a car is a removable boombox.

Although not mentioned by BMW in the official press release, we discovered the detachable speaker while speaking with Kai Langer, Head of BMW i Design. It’s located on the floating center console and can be taken off to use externally. The Vision Neue Klasse X isn’t the first car to have this party trick since Toyota sells the Tacoma with a removable JBL speaker mounted in the dashboard.

The man in charge of the concept’s design suggested the floating center console is unlikely to make it to production on the iX3 when it goes on sale in 2025. Time will tell whether the detachable boombox will make the cut. It wasn’t there on the Vision Neue Klasse sedan introduced last year at the IAA Mobility show in Munich with a slightly different center console. Since the future iX3 and i3 have been developed on a bespoke EV architecture, ergonomics should be far better after removing the center transmission tunnel found in vehicles with combustion engines. Kai Langer told BMWBLOG we should expect a center console with a lot more functionality than the concept since the Vision Neue Klasse X was deliberately oversimplified.

The BMW i Design boss promises the available space “will always be cleverly used.” The iX3 should be significantly roomier than the CLAR-based electric crossover on sale today, not just because of the dedicated architecture. We’ve learned it will be bigger than the current model, but without stepping on the X5’s toes. Typically, a car developed exclusively with an electric drivetrain has shorter front and rear overhangs compared to an equivalent ICE model. That gives engineers the freedom to stretch the wheelbase to maximize legroom for rear passengers. It should be the same story with the next-gen iX3 but BMW remains tight-lipped about the technical specifications.

We should learn more by the end of the year or early 2025 considering the production model will go on sale around the middle of next year.