BMW iX3 kicks off Neue Klasse era with 805 km range and bold new design

New Delhi: BMW has pulled the covers off its first Neue Klasse production car, the new-generation iX3. This fully electric SUV will be built at the company’s new Debrecen plant in Hungary, with production starting in late 2025.

For BMW, this isn’t just a model refresh. Executives are calling the iX3 a leap forward, with new design language, upgraded digital features, and fresh electric drive tech. The car will first arrive in Europe in spring 2026, then head to the US in summer, with a China-specific version produced at BMW’s Shenyang plant.

The debut variant, called the iX3 50 xDrive, gets dual motors delivering 469 hp and 645 Nm. It does 0-100 kmph in 4.9 seconds and tops out at 210 kmph. The new battery pack has 108.7 kWh usable energy, enough for up to 805 km range on the WLTP cycle.

Charging is another highlight. Using 800V tech, the SUV can add 372 km of range in just 10 minutes at a 400 kW fast charger. A full 10–80% top-up takes about 21 minutes. BMW says the iX3 can also support bidirectional charging, meaning it could power homes or feed energy back to the grid.

This SUV introduces BMW’s new design language. The front is upright with vertical kidney grilles inspired by the 1960s Neue Klasse. The side profile is clean with flush glass and handles, while the rear gets wide horizontal taillights. At 4,782 mm long, 1,895 mm wide and 1,635 mm tall, it has the stance of a proper SUV.

Aerodynamics are tighter too, with a drag coefficient of 0.24. Boot space ranges from 520 litres to 1,750 litres with seats folded. There’s even a small 58-litre storage under the bonnet.

Inside, BMW has gone minimal but digital-heavy. The big new feature is the Panoramic iDrive system, projecting info across the windscreen. It runs BMW’s new Operating System X, offering customisable modes, in-car gaming, video streaming apps like YouTube and Disney+, and even Zoom video calls.

Drivers still get physical buttons for basic functions like wipers, indicators and gear select. Voice control has been upgraded with large language model tech for more natural conversations.

BMW claims the iX3 has a 34% lower carbon footprint over 200,000 km compared to its predecessor. A third of the car uses recycled material, from marine plastics to PET-based seat fabrics. Even the Debrecen factory is designed to run without fossil fuels.

For car enthusiasts, the new iX3 is not just a replacement for the old one but the first of 40 Neue Klasse models BMW plans to roll out by 2027. It shows where the brand is heading: bigger batteries, smarter software, and design that looks decades ahead.