German automaker BMW has unveiled the Vision Neue Klasse electric car, saying it represents the beginning of a new era for the company.
The company's latest design represents the platform that will form the basis for the brand's next generation of electric vehicles. The first electric cars based on the “New Class” architecture are scheduled to enter production in 2025.
The new electric vehicle range includes sixth-generation BMW batteries, which increase charging speed and charging range by up to 30% on the Neue Klasse platform. BMW claims that these measures "increased the vehicle's overall efficiency by 25 percent."
Passengers have ample space available with four individual seats, the front seats can be fixed to the floor with a single brace thus providing maximum legroom, while the roof is closed by a huge panoramic glass roof.
The car is equipped with the so-called Panorama View, which is a head-up display that covers the entire window portion. Reduce driver dependence on touchscreens and instrument clusters by filling the windshield with information.
In contrast to the i Vision Dee, the Neue Klasse has a window-mounted parallelogram touchscreen that is easily accessible to the front passengers. This is in addition to the new levels of voice interaction and control promised by the company through the controls integrated into the steering wheel.
The car uses E Ink, as the company has integrated small strips of low-power, high-contrast E Ink screens under the side window to greet the driver and tell him where to touch to unlock the car.
“We are integrating all of BMW's innovative strengths in electrification and digital technology into the vision of the new category,” said BMW President Oliver Zipse. “In just two years, these cars will be on the road, putting BMW at the forefront of innovation and sustainability.” A new era of sustainability.
The Vision Neue Klasse is expected to make its debut in the coming days at the IAA Motor Show in Munich, where the German company's headquarters are also located.
“We believe that electric vehicles are probably the fastest growing sector in the global automotive industry and we want to be a dominant force in this field,” Zipse said, stressing that the Neue Klasse range represents a major technological leap for the automaker.
The company's CEO expects pure electric vehicles to represent 15% of global sales to automakers by the end of 2023, with sales continuing to rise next year.
In early August, the company expected supply chain issues and high inflation to persist in the coming months, but raised its annual profit margin forecast.