- The next-generation BMW 3-Series lineup will feature an electric option
- The electric 3-Series will use the Neue Klasse platform and likely be badged an i3
- The electric 3-Series will follow a Neue Klasse-based electric X3 arriving in 2025
BMW has been hyping its Neue Klasse family of electric vehicles for a while, but the first will finally be revealed this year, a compact crossover forming part of the X3 family. It is likely to be badged an iX3, which is the name BMW used on a previous-generation electric X3 sold outside the U.S.
The electric X3 will be followed in 2026 by an electric member of the next-generation 3-Series, and BMW on Wednesday took to social media to show off some prototypes undergoing cold-weather testing. The electric 3-Series will likely be badged an i3, the name previously used for an electric urban hatch sold globally, as well as for a previous-generation electric 3-Series sold exclusively in China.
In the case of the next-generation 3-Series, there will be both this electric model and a gas model. Prototypes for the gas model have previously been spied.
Likewise, the next M3 will offer both gas and electric power, with the electric M3 also previously seen testing. Interestingly, BMW has hinted that the electric M3 may simulate sounds of a gas engine, at least in the cabin.
Prototype for electric BMW M3 based on Neue Klasse platform
The new Neue Klasse EVs will use a distinct dedicated EV platform with support for 800 volts, though their styling will still somewhat resemble their gas-powered counterpart. This will be particularly true for the next-generation 3-Series, whose electric and gas models will be almost identical in terms of styling—the look previewed with 2023’s Vision Neue Klasse concept.
Also shared across the gas and electric models will be certain Neue Klasse technologies, including a new interface that replaces the traditional gauge cluster with a head-up display spanning the base of the windshield.
There was an earlier plan to have the Neue Klasse EV platform also support gas engines in various hybrid configurations, but that plan has been scrapped. The platform will be capable of supporting a hydrogen fuel cell, however.
BMW sees the introduction of the Neue Klasse platform as significant a shift as the introduction of the original Neue Klasse platform in the 1960s, a platform that underpinned a series of sedans and coupes that set the course for BMW even to this day.
