BMW i3 Neue Klasse Teased, Completes Winter Testing in Sweden

Prototypes of the upcoming BMW i3 Neue Klasse were revealed during their winter testing sessions in Sweden.

BMW is gearing up for its future, as the Bavarian automaker follows up the next-gen iX3 teaser by revealing pre-production prototypes of its upcoming EV saloon, the next-gen BMW i3. Not to be confused with either the discontinued small EV hatch or the China-only G20-based EV saloon, this new i3 is part of the marque’s new EV lineup, dubbed the Neue Klasse.

Internally codenamed NA0, the new i3 is expected to become the second Neue Klasse production model after the next-gen iX3, which is due for debut later this year. While the iX3 prototype recently completed its hot weather testing in South Africa, the new i3 was shown undergoing rigorous winter testing on snowy and icy Swedish terrains.

From the images, we can see that the new i3 looks similar to its SUV twin while harbouring some design cues from its original concept, the Vision Neue Klasse. Up front, this new EV saloon gets a distinctive front face featuring BMW’s signature double headlamps that flank its wide kidney front grille.

The transition from concept to production also sees the new i3 rocking physical side mirrors instead of side-view cameras, while the overall silhouette of the car looks somewhat similar to the concept twin, albeit featuring softer edges and more traditional three-box sedan proportions. Unfortunately, the camouflage wrap gets pretty thick and thorough at the rear part, so there’s not much we can derive from this pre-production prototype.

Although no on-board pictures were published by BMW as of now, we can expect the new i3 to get the brand’s latest Panoramic iDrive system shown in its concept twin. The setup ditches the traditional instrument panel for a full-width, pillar-to-pillar display that is fully customisable, while a large central screen acts as the main infotainment head unit.

On the powertrain front, the new i3 will underpin BMW’s new Neue Klasse EV platform, featuring an 800-volt electrical architecture and new battery pack technology that promises 30% faster charging performance and 30% more range than the current unit. Powering the new i3 is BMW’s new Gen6 drive unit that comes in both single RWD and dual-motor AWD configurations, with the manic quad-motor setup reserved for the M-badged version later.

With the new BMW i3 already completing several real-world tests, we can expect its debut to happen pretty soon, although BMW has yet to unveil the actual product launch timeline for this new EV saloon. As mentioned above, the new i3 will be the second Neue Klasse model to debut after the next-gen iX3, where it will be the long-awaited all-electric successor to the beloved 3 Series.