BMW Unveils Cutting-Edge iX3 Electric SUV: A Technological Leap in EV Design

Neue Klasse: BMW's tech-filled iX3 electric SUV is unveiled

BMW has an all-electric replacement for its X3 crossover on the way. When it arrives in mid-2026, it will have the lowest carbon footprint of any BMW yet, thanks to an obsessive approach to sustainability during the design process. But we knew that already; what we couldn't tell you then, but can now, is everything else we know about the first of the so-called Neue Klasse electric vehicles. "The Neue Klasse is our biggest future-focused project and marks a huge leap forward in terms of technologies, driving experience, and design," said BMW chairman Oliver Zipse. "Practically everything about it is new, yet it is also more BMW than ever. Our whole product range will benefit from the innovations brought by the Neue Klasse -- whichever drive system technology is employed. What started as a bold vision has now become reality: the BMW iX3 is the first Neue Klasse model to go into series production, kicking off a new era for BMW." A new face The iX3 also debuts a new corporate face for BMW's SUVs: From now on, these will have tall, narrow kidney grilles like the one you see here, as opposed to the short, wide grille seen on the front of the Neue Klasse sedan (which is almost certainly the next 3 Series). LEDs replace chrome, and there's a new take on BMW's usual four headlights, although the illuminated kidney grill is an option, not mandatory. Despite the two-box shape, the iX3 manages a drag coefficient of just 0.24. The iX3 should have a smaller carbon footprint than a gas-powered X3 after just a year. BMW The iX3 should have a smaller carbon footprint than a gas-powered X3 after just a year. BMW The iX3 roof has a double-bubble. BMW The iX3 roof has a double-bubble. BMW The iX3 should have a smaller carbon footprint than a gas-powered X3 after just a year. BMW The iX3 roof has a double-bubble. BMW Sixth-generation As befitting a company called the Bavarian Motor Works, BMW has been in the business of designing and building its own electric powertrains for quite some time, in contrast to some rivals that have been buying EV tech from suppliers. In addition to the class-leading manufacturing efficiency, the sixth-generation electric powertrain should be extremely efficient -- around 4 miles/kWh (15.5 kWh/100 km) from an SUV-shape, which is 20-25 percent better than current SUV EVs. The first variant will be the iX3 50 xDrive, which boasts a combined 463 hp (345 kW) and 475 lb-ft (645 Nm) from its pair of motors. The front axle uses an asynchronous motor, with an electrically excited synchronous motor at the rear axle providing most of the power. There's 40 percent more regenerative braking than BMW's current powertrains. We weren't given an exact threshold where the friction brakes take over, but it should be around 0.5-0.6 G. That means that the iX3 will regeneratively brake for the overwhelming majority of the time -- just 5-10 percent of braking events should require the friction brakes, we're told. And the regen should be smoother and more precise, as well as quieter than before. There's even some regenerative braking should the ABS trigger. For the Neue Klasse, BMW has moved to a new 800 V battery, using cylindrical cells rather than the prismatic cells you'd find in an iX or i4. Energy density is 20 percent greater than the current cells, and the pack has a usable capacity of 108 kWh. That means you can expect a range of up to 400 miles, although the official EPA rating will only arrive next year. The new pack charges a lot faster, too. It can accept up to 400 kW, should you find a charger capable of such power. If so, the 10-80 percent charge should take 21 minutes. (BMW also says it will add 230 miles in 10 minutes.) The iX3 is capable of acting as a mobile power bank (V2L) as well as powering a home or even the grid (this requires a V2H-capable wall box), and North American iX3s will sport NACS charging ports. Software-defined The Neue Klasse is a clean-sheet design, and BMW has used this as an opportunity to clear out the legacy cruft that has accumulated over the years. Instead of hundreds of discrete black boxes, each with a single electric control unit (ECU) performing a single job, the iX3 uses four high-performance computers, each in charge of a different domain. Among the benefits of this approach? Almost 2,000 feet (600 m) less wiring and a weight saving of about 30 percent compared to a conventional wiring loom with all its ECUs. Taking single-function controllers out of the loop and replacing them with a domain computer also cuts latency. The Heart of Joy is the domain controller responsible for driving dynamics and the powertrain, and can cope with up to four electric motors, something we should see in electric M-badged Neue Klasse models in the future. But good driving dynamics require more than just a fancy computer brain. The iX3 is extremely stiff, with the front and rear axles mounted to the battery pack. Weight distribution is a near-perfect 49:51. A different domain controller is in charge of the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). This water-cooled computer is 20 times faster than the processors that control the ADAS in a current BMW, and was developed in-house by BMW. The automaker says the focus is always on the driver's needs in a way that is smart, symbiotic, and safe. There are AI/ML algorithms for perception and planning, but safety-proven rule-based algorithms always have the final say in the decision-making process. There's a hands-free, partially automated driving system that works at up to 85 mph (136 km/h) on premapped divided-lane highways, and an interesting new feature is the cooperative braking and steering during active assistance. Unlike just about every car on the road currently, using the brake will not immediately kill the cruise control, and if you intentionally cross the median or a lane marker and are looking where you're going, the eye-tracking driver monitoring system sees you and won't try to correct. (But if you veer across the lane and aren't looking, the car will steer you back.) Shy tech The iX3's interior is near-identical to the concept we saw last March. BMW calls this approach shy tech, where controls or displays are invisible when inactive. There's a new multifunction steering wheel -- that will surely be divisive -- which puts the ADAS controls on its left side, and media controls on the right. The iDrive rotary controller is no more, but there are plenty of physical buttons (not capacitive ones) for things like windows and mirrors. BMW says the rotary controller wouldn't have worked well with the new iDrive UI for the trapezoidal touchscreen. (Additionally, it told us that in some regions, drivers never used the rotary controller at all.) The screen is closer to the driver than in current BMWs, and the trapezoidal shape rather effectively means the left side of the screen -- which has persistent, common functions -- is always close to your right hand. After playing with the system for a while, I think the UI is a lot easier to navigate than the current BMW infotainment system, good though that is. The multifunction steering wheel looks unconventional. BMW The multifunction steering wheel looks unconventional. BMW Actual buttons are still en vogue at BMW. BMW Actual buttons are still en vogue at BMW. BMW There's a decent amount of room back here for a smallish crossover. BMW There's a decent amount of room back here for a smallish crossover. BMW Actual buttons are still en vogue at BMW. BMW There's a decent amount of room back here for a smallish crossover. BMW The frunk is just too small for a hard-sided carry-on. BMW There's between 30.4 and 65 cubic feet (860-1,840 L) of cargo space back here BMW Here, the driver is configuring the panoramic display. BMW The UI is customizable. BMW The settings page for the car's lighting BMW You can have wallpaper backgrounds. BMW I've often been complimentary about voice recognition in BMWs, and the iX3 has an upgrade here. The natural language processing is now based on Alexa, not Cerence's tech, and there's a cartoon visualization for the personal assistant that looks a bit like a ninja, or perhaps an alien. This will make eye contact with the person giving voice commands, so it can discern between driver and passenger. At the base of the windshield is the new panoramic display. This presents information in zones -- you can personalize what shows up in the center and right zones, but the one in front of the driver will always be the critical stuff like your speed and any warnings or alerts. There's also an optional heads-up display. BMW says we can expect the iX3 50 eDrive to arrive in the US next summer, starting at around $60,000.

The New BMW iX3 Gets On Rivian And Tesla's Level To Battle China's EVs

It will be built in Hungary at the end of this year. It's expected to go on sale in the United States in 2026 starting around $60,000. Forget what you know about BMW's electric vehicles. Sure, those have been excellent. Newer EV offerings like the iX, i4, i5 and i7 have proven to be a quiet success story for BMW, and they show that a traditional car company can go electric without losing what made it great in the first place. But this is different. It's something new altogether. And however impressive the i4 and the rest have been, what's coming next ups the ante. Meet the all-new BMW iX3. It may share a name with a limited-range, rear-drive-only electric SUV sold in Europe and other markets, but that's where any similarities end. It's now the first EV on BMW's all-new Neue Klasse platform, which feels more like something developed by Tesla or Rivian than most electric efforts from "legacy" automakers thus far. And on paper, it seems very impressive. BMW says it's rated for up to 805 kilometers of range in Europe, but the automaker also estimates a roughly 400-mile rating under the U.S. EPA's stricter testing process. The iX3 boasts a 400-kilowatt fast-charging speed and bidirectional charging, so it can power your gadgets or even your home. Under the skin, it has a zonal electrical architecture for simplicity and superb computing power. Is it enough to hit back against the high-tech Chinese automakers that are eating the Europeans' lunch on two continents now? That's the real question. What's clear is the iX3 showed up ready for a fight. Both the iX3's name and design echo a pattern we've seen more and more from car companies lately: EVs are becoming normal. Granted, BMW has always followed the strategy of offering more or less the same models it always has, just with electric versions. Yet the iX3 really flies under the radar. It's got chiseled looks and wide, LED-filled headlamps and taillights, but it's clearly all-BMW, and only the lack of exhaust pipes gives away that it's electric. The iX3 is also considerably more handsome than the latest gas X3, which it is completely unrelated to. Size-wise, however, these two are nearly identical. Under the skin, it's a different story. This is the first car on BMW's Neue Klasse (New Class) platform -- its first truly modern, from-the-ground-up 800-volt EV architecture. Here, that means a zonal electrical system like you'd find in a Rivian, a Tesla or many of China's EVs. It's powered by four main "superbrain" computers that control different aspects of the iX3, like power and handling, the automated driving assistance system, the overall software suite and more. It's also designed for constant over-the-air software updates. BMW has said that designing this car with a zonal architecture -- the next big thing in EV design -- cuts nearly 2,000 feet of wiring vs. a conventional car, uses 20% less energy overall and saves a good amount of weight. That also means it's cheaper for BMW to produce than past EVs, which is ideal for reaching profitability with those cars. The old way of doing things, which most of the car industry is still married to, involves hundreds of tiny "electronic control units" scattered throughout a car and tasked with discrete functions -- like operating the door locks or headlights. By using a smaller number of more powerful computers, zonal systems aim to streamline things and make software updates easier. The iX3 is also loaded with more sustainable materials throughout the cabin, building process and entire supply chain, so that it ends up with lower overall emissions than a comparable gas-powered car after just one year. Power comes from BMW's newest Gen6 cylindrical battery cells, which not only boost energy density for more range but are also better for the environment than the current crop of batteries the automaker uses. More variants on the Neue Klasse platform are coming, including the i3 sedan, a coupe and probably more soon. In many ways, the various technologies debuted on the iX3 will inform most of BMW's future cars, including its gas-powered and hybrid ones. But nobody wants to drive a BMW that isn't fun. On that front, the iX3's new 108-kilowatt-hour (usable) battery allows dual electric motors to put down 463 horsepower and 476 lb-ft of torque in U.S. spec. That's good for a brisk 4.7-second run from zero to 60 mph. BMW tends to sandbag the quoted performance of its cars a bit, so the real thing may be even quicker. A single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version will debut later. BMW's estimated 400 miles of range would put this car in first-rate company. The Lucid Air and Lucid Gravity, Tesla Model S, Mercedes-Benz EQS and a few others land in that category, but it's still an exclusive party for now. The iX3's charging stats are perhaps an even bigger deal. The iX3 can fast-charge at speeds of up to 400 kilowatts, tying the Lucid Gravity for what could be the highest speeds in America. On an 800-volt DC fast-charger, the iX3 should be able to go from 10% to 80% in just 21 minutes, or add around 230 miles of range in 10 minutes. Besides the Gravity, those kinds of charging speeds and times put the iX3 in the same category as a few other high-end newer EVs, including the Porsche Macan Electric. Moreover, it'll come equipped with a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug with native access to the Tesla Supercharger network. Oh, and supposedly the charging flap can detect whether you need to use it or not with artificial intelligence, and should open automatically when you do. That's only the tip of the technology iceberg. The iX3 not only uses a slick 17.9-inch central display, but it also debuts BMW's Panoramic iDrive. Using what the automaker calls its new BMW Operating System X, that thin, pillar-to-pillar screen can be fully customized with a whole assortment of menus, icons and indicators. There's a good amount of physical controls throughout the cabin, especially on the grippy steering wheel, where buttons provide haptic feedback. Voice controls do a lot here, including windows, air conditioning, seating comfort and in-car entertainment. And like any good luxury EV, the iX3 includes an "intelligent digital companion" that learns your various preferences and suggests things based on the environment. "If the driver doesn't react to the proactive prompts repeatedly or if individual suggestions are frequently rejected, the intelligent system will take note of this and refrain from making suggestions in the future," BMW said in a news release. I'm glad it's listening. I got the chance to try out this software suite in Germany ahead of the car's official debut, and you can see my impressions in the video above. My read: it's a software and UX setup designed by people who actually like driving cars, because so much of it feels effectively designed to keep you from taking your eyes off the road. Between range, charging speed, sustainability and overall tech, it seems like the iX3 will be a powerhouse. And remarkably, it's not as expensive as I expected. BMW North America said the iX3 50 xDrive, the dual motor launch car, will start around $60,000. I had figured it'd be closer to $75,000 or $80,000, but this price would undercut even the gas-powered X3 M50 xDrive. Not bad. So will it sell? BMW is certainly bringing this EV to market at a challenging time. Here in America, the EV tax credit is going away, and while the iX3 is made in Hungary, that credit would've been useful for BMW's many leasing customers. But if it comes in priced similarly to a gas-powered X3, it could convince some buyers to break up with gasoline. Perhaps more crucially, BMW needs the iX3 to fend off increased competition from China's advanced EVs. A version of that is in development, BMW officials said, where its sales have been slumping for a while. And now those Chinese brands are grabbing market share in Europe as well. It's tougher competition than Western automakers have perhaps ever seen before. We'll see how that goes, but anyone who's a fan of BMW's EVs so far should be in for something special next. The iX3 goes on sale in Europe at the end of this year, and U.S. deliveries begin in mid-2026.

The BMW iX3 Could Actually Be A Fantastic EV Deal

With those prices, you get one of the most high-tech EVs around: around 300 miles of range, a zonal architecture, software updates, bidirectional charging and more. When I first saw the production BMW iX3 at a preview event in Germany this summer, I couldn't help but be impressed. Here was an electric vehicle with around 400 miles of range, an electrical architecture akin to EVs from Tesla and Rivian, next-generation software, artificial intelligence features, bidirectional charging and more. It's truly a next-level EV from BMW. But I was also sure it was going to be expensive. My first guess was a starting price of around $80,000; after all, that level of technology doesn't come cheap. I was happy to be wrong. Ultimately, the new iX3 50 xDrive will start under $60,000 when it goes on sale in the United States next summer. (In Europe, starting prices are higher at €68,900, or about $80,000.) And the real story is what's coming in 2027: the less powerful, lower-range 40 sDrive and 40 xDrive models, which BMW said will start under $55,000. Those would be the rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants, respectively. Those models shouldn't come with a dealbreaker range penalty, either. BMW said both have "estimated ranges slightly over 300 miles." Considering that 300 miles of range is basically table stakes for a good modern EV -- when you can achieve that figure, range anxiety tends to erode quickly -- so these thankfully won't be just compliance cars. And granted, this is BMW we're talking about; the German automaker loves giving you lots of options to add on. A gas-powered BMW X3 may "start" at $50,900 in the U.S., but most examples you'll find on dealer lots are between $55,000 and $60,000. Even so, selling an EV as high-tech as the iX3 is in the $50,000 range at all undercuts a lot of the competition and even makes it look technologically dated. The iX3 could come in a little more than a well-equipped Tesla Model Y, but with faster charging, bidirectional charging and a much more premium interior. And $55,000 to $60,000 is about what it takes to get into a very nicely equipped Hyundai Ioniq 5; as much as we love that EV, a similarly priced BMW makes for a compelling alternative. This approach may speak to how, in modernizing how it builds EVs, BMW was actually able to save money here. The new platform, which uses a zonal architecture controlled by four computer "superbrains," cuts 2,000 feet of wiring vs. previous EVs. And batteries in these "Neue Klasse" EVs are 40% to 50% cheaper than those in existing models. BMW's executives say it should reach the same level of profitability as the gas-powered X3. For both BMW and the consumers that buy them, that's a very big deal. EVs are still more expensive to make than conventional cars in most cases, largely thanks to battery costs. But as those costs go down and automakers find newer and more cost-effective ways to make EVs, they should reach price parity with gas-powered cars -- which will be a key step in getting more people to buy them. We'll be watching for pricing news on the iX3 as new models roll out and come to the U.S. But this may represent a positive step in the long-awaited price parity between electric and gas vehicles.