QUICK LINKSBMW has formally entered the Neue Klasse period, a change as profound as the unique shift that saved the model within the Nineteen Sixties. At a latest roundtable, Joachim Submit, BMW’s Board Member for Analysis and Growth, spoke candidly about what makes this program a turning level not only for one mannequin, however for the corporate’s international portfolio. In an intensive Q&A session, he addressed every little thing from tariffs and provide chain resilience to AI integration, BMW iX3 driving dynamics, and the philosophy behind design and sound.
The Scale of the Neue Klasse
Dr. Submit emphasised that the Neue Klasse isn’t about launching a single mannequin however redefining your complete fleet. “The iX3 is the primary one, however for the U.S. we’re additionally bringing the X5 subsequent 12 months, produced in Spartanburg, with all of this expertise,” he mentioned. Over the subsequent two years, BMW will roll out the platform’s improvements into round 40 fashions and updates worldwide.
Central to this shift is the Neue Klasse structure (NCAR), which introduces 4 “tremendous brains” — central computer systems that deal with every little thing from dynamics to driver help. With 20 occasions extra computing energy than the earlier era, the system permits BMW to separate {hardware} from software program. “That’s one of many keys to being ready for the long run,” Dr. Submit defined. “We are able to combine extra AI options, replace extra simply, and adapt rapidly to what’s coming.”
From Tariffs to Flexibility: Manufacturing Follows the Market
Dr. Submit additionally tackled the realities of geopolitics and commerce coverage. Requested about tariffs, he reiterated BMW’s longstanding place: “We stand without spending a dime commerce. However we now have to arrange for uncertainties.” BMW’s response is to maintain a major footprint in all main areas: Europe, China, and the U.S. That technique has formed the mantra “manufacturing follows the market, and provide chain follows manufacturing.”
Spartanburg, BMW’s largest plant globally, embodies this strategy. With a long-term dedication within the U.S., BMW is investing closely in a new battery meeting facility and increasing manufacturing of electrified fashions. This local-for-local technique helps BMW stay resilient to tariffs and political shifts, whereas additionally anchoring it nearer to prospects.
Know-how That Strikes Sooner
Automotive improvement cycles are historically lengthy — seven years or extra between main generations. Dr. Submit admitted that at the beginning look, beginning the Neue Klasse program in 2021 and solely now bringing it to market may look gradual. However he countered that the actual innovation lies in how rapidly BMW can unfold these applied sciences throughout the lineup. “Forty derivatives in two years — that’s actual pace,” he mentioned.
The structure was intentionally engineered to be scalable and transferable to different fashions, enabling every little thing from compact sedans to SUVs to learn from the identical computing, security, and infotainment upgrades. It’s a manner of accelerating expertise rollout with out always reinventing the wheel.
Driving Pleasure within the Digital Age
BMW’s slogan — Sheer Driving Pleasure — has at all times been about really feel as a lot as numbers. Dr. Submit made it clear that electrification and software program received’t compromise that id. “It should drive like a BMW,” he insisted. That’s why the corporate insisted on creating the practical driving software program in-house, even when fundamental layers got here from suppliers.
One standout instance is regenerative braking. Neue Klasse iX3 fashions can obtain 95 % recuperation, making braking so seamless that drivers can’t really feel when the automotive comes to an entire cease. Throughout my very own take a look at drive of an iX3 prototype at Miramas, I made a decision to attempt one thing uncommon: I briefly closed my eyes because the automotive slowed to a cease. To my shock, I couldn’t even inform when the automotive had absolutely halted. There was no vibration, no lurch, no sense of mechanical intervention — only a clean, virtually imperceptible transition to standstill. This smoothness reduces fatigue in site visitors whereas additionally maximizing vitality restoration — a win for each driving dynamics and effectivity.
The identical goes for dynamics on the restrict. On take a look at tracks, BMW engineers let me really feel how the computing energy and quick reactions of electrical motors can preserve a automotive planted in situations the place combustion fashions would spin. It’s a part of what BMW calls the “Coronary heart of Pleasure” — a fusion of management and emotion made doable by digital efficiency.
The Panoramic iDrive
The Neue Klasse additionally redefines how drivers work together with their automobiles. The Panoramic iDrive stretches data throughout the width of the windshield, eliminating the fixed downward look at a middle display. “When you’ve seen it, you say: why didn’t we at all times do it this fashion?” Dr. Submit mentioned. By projecting essential knowledge instantly into the driving force’s line of sight, BMW delivers each immersion and security.
Past Hans Zimmer: A New Sound Id
Sound has emerged as an sudden frontier for EV id. BMW made headlines by collaborating with composer Hans Zimmer to create futuristic soundscapes. Dr. Submit known as the partnership “very profitable,” however mentioned Neue Klasse strikes ahead with BMW’s personal philosophy.
As a substitute of mimicking combustion noise, BMW is crafting human, symphonic tones. One challenge recorded a choir of designers expressing what Neue Klasse meant to them, then wove these recordings into the automotive’s sound palette. “It’s not about imitation,” Dr. Submit mentioned. “It’s about creating one thing new, genuine for electrical mobility. Some prospects will love the sounds, others could favor silence. There will likely be one thing for everybody.”
International Model, Native Variations
Design is one other space the place BMW insists on staying true to its roots. When requested by one other journalist whether or not Chinese language tastes had overly influenced previous fashions, Dr. Submit disagreed. “For us, that’s not true,” he mentioned. “We’ve at all times created designs that work everywhere in the world, as a result of BMW is a world model.”
What does change, he defined, are native variations for fashions in-built particular markets. In China, for instance, prospects count on a longer wheelbase and extra rear-seat consolation, so BMW produces prolonged variations of sure sedans there. Within the U.S., in contrast, demand leans extra towards sport packages and distinctive trims. “These are market-specific variations,” Dr. Submit emphasised, “however the core design is at all times international.”
EV Adoption and Market Realities
Lastly, Dr. Submit addressed the uneven adoption of EVs worldwide. Whereas Europe is shifting rapidly, the U.S. market is patchier, and infrastructure stays inconsistent. Nonetheless, he argued that when prospects expertise an EV, they hardly ever return. “Dynamics, charging pace, vary — when you’ve pushed an EV, you stick with it,” he mentioned. Neue Klasse fashions purpose to remove limitations with 400 miles of vary (EPA estimate) and 400 kW charging functionality, including 175 miles in simply 10 minutes.
Dr. Submit harassed that BMW’s technology-open strategy stems from a easy perception: the client ought to determine, not governments. “Rules can set boundaries,” he mentioned, “however ultimately it’s the client who chooses which automotive to purchase.” That’s why BMW opposes outright bans on combustion engines in markets like Germany, preferring as an alternative to supply a full vary of choices. This flexibility has allowed BMW to guide the premium phase in electrical automotive gross sales whereas nonetheless lowering general CO₂ emissions.
The true problem, Dr. Submit famous, is convincing prospects to attempt EVs within the first place — as a result of as soon as they do, they have a tendency to stick with them. Value reductions from BMW’s sixth-generation battery expertise can even make electrical fashions extra enticing, each in value and efficiency. “Some international locations transfer sooner, like Europe, others transfer slower,” he added. “However with the pliability to construct completely different drivetrains on the identical manufacturing line, we will adapt to any tempo of adoption. That’s the important thing.”
A Gesamtkunstwerk
Dr. Submit used a German phrase to sum up the Neue Klasse: Gesamtkunstwerk — a complete murals. From design and driving dynamics to software program and sound, he sees it as a brand new stage throughout each self-discipline. It’s not only a new automotive however a brand new normal for BMW’s future, one constructed on flexibility, digital energy, and the enduring promise of Sheer Driving Pleasure.
