BMW has rolled out its first pre-production i3 Neue Klasse electric sedan from its Munich facility, marking what the company calls “an important milestone”. One might wonder what took so long, but apparently perfecting the art of building a car entirely in-house using “cutting-edge production technologies” requires a certain pace.
The i3 Neue Klasse represents BMW’s second model built on its 800-volt platform, following the iX3 that entered series production in late 2025. According to BMW, this architecture delivers 30% faster charging speeds and 30% more range compared to previous generations. The platform accommodates up to four next-generation electric motors and features BMW’s new Gen6 cylindrical NMC battery cells, boasting 20% higher energy density than the old prismatic cells. Numbers that sound impressive.
Peter Weber, head of BMW’s Munich plant, declared with evident pride that “for the first time, we have built a BMW i3 entirely at our facility”. The phrasing suggests this achievement deserves a parade, though one might argue that producing your own vehicles at your own factory shouldn’t exactly qualify as revolutionary.
The vehicle is expected to pack a 108.7 kWh battery, the same unit found in the iX3, potentially offering up to 500 miles of WLTP range. Given the sedan’s lower profile and more aerodynamic shape compared to the SUV sibling, it might squeeze out a few extra miles. Charging capabilities mirror the iX3’s performance. 231 miles added in just 10 minutes, provided you can find one of those mythical high-speed chargers when you actually need it.
BMW has equipped the i3 with its “Heart of Joy” electronic control unit, featuring four “super brains” that allegedly pack “more than 20 times the computing power” of current BMW EVs. Whether this translates into an actual joy for drivers or simply more ways for software to confuse them remains to be seen.
Mass production is slated to begin by late 2026, with the i3 Neue Klasse hitting European, American, and global markets in early 2027. By then, Tesla’s Model 3, the i3’s direct competitor, will have enjoyed several more years of market dominance.
