On sale later this year, the second model in the Neue Klass is a new take on the BMW 3 Series executive sedan.
BMW has unveiled the fully electric BMW i3, which it is the second model in the Neue Klasse range.
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The first all-electric BMW 3 Series launches as the BMW i3 50 xDrive, which has an electric motor on both the front and rear axles. The combined system power output is 345 kW/469 hp, the maximum torque is 645 Nm.
BMW says the BMW i3 stands for a modern interpretation of the hallmark design features of a BMW Sedan – and immediately recognisable as a BMW 3 Series.
Notable design features are the long wheelbase, the greenhouse that slopes towards the rear and the short overhangs.
BMW says the i3 range is up to 900 kilometres (in accordance with the WLTP test cycle). DC charging capacities of up to 400 kW also drastically reduce charging times, BMW says. The DC fast charger can recharge energy for up to 400 km in 10 minutes (in accordance with ISO 12906 in the WLTP cycle). Sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology comprises 800-volt technology and new high-voltage batteries with new round cells. It is claimed the cell-to-pack design used enables high energy densities at pack level and a flatter high-voltage battery. The BMW i3 also features the bidirectional charging functions Vehicle-to-Load (optional AC charging Professional required), Vehicle-to-Home and Vehicle-to-Grid charging functions.
The BMW i3 is manufactured at the BMW Group plant in Munich, which is the home plant of the BMW Group. For more than a hundred years, the plant in Milbertshofen, in the north of Munich, has been producing premium vehicles. Over the last four years, the plant has seen significant modernisation. Alongside a new body shop, a vehicle assembly area incorporating logistics space has been constructed. The new buildings are in their final stages of expansion. Production of the new BMW i3 in the new facilities will start from August 2026. The first vehicles will be delivered from autumn this year. One year later, the production portfolio will be switched to exclusively fully electric vehicles of the Neue Klasse.
