The new chapter of BMW SUV, or perhaps more accurately the new face, platform and pretty much everything else, has been spied testing out in the public the automaker’s home country of Germany. The heavily camouflaged vehicle you see here is the BMW Neue Klasse (New Class) electric SUV, and it’s likely coming in production form sometime in 2025 or so. And even though it’s well and truly plastered with all manner of vinyl wrapping, it’s clear to see that this upcoming model will be a radical departure from what’s currently on the road in the form of the production X3, which is similar in size to this prototype.
It’s probable that this upcoming model will be badged iX3 when it comes to the States (not to be confused with the iX3 that’s sold in some other parts of the world), and it will surely be offered with multiple power levels and badged accordingly. The current BMW iX SUV is sold in xDrive50 and more powerful M60 guises, while the i4 electric sedan adds eDrive35 and eDrive40 (single-motor rear-wheel drive) and xDrive40 and M50 (dual-motor all-wheel drive) variants to the portfolio. Expect a similar trim lineup for the iX3.
What we can see of the bodywork may be just as interesting as what we can’t see underneath. The most obvious visual clue that this is the Neue Klasse is the shape of the SUV’s fascia and grille, which are very reminiscent of the Vision Neue Klasse concept sedan that we last saw looking klassey (sorry, couldn’t help ourselves) a few months ago. We can’t tell for sure, but it’s possible two vertically oriented kidneys sit front and center, bracketed by wider wings that may or may not be flush with the rest of the face. At this point, we don’t know what’s camo and what’s actual bodywork. Wide-set headlights flank the front corners, though these lighting clusters aren’t likely in final production condition.
The rest of the machine looks fairly tame in profile, without styling flourishes like sloping rooflines or massively punched-out fenders. We note flush-mounted door handles, chunky blue brake calipers and wheels wide enough to suggest this isn’t a base model. We can’t see inside, but we’re sure it’s packed full of high-tech screens. We’ve still got a couple of years before we’ll see this electric SUV in production, so this probably won’t be the last time we see these camo’d cars running around in public.
