The BMW Design Center in Shanghai is already working on China-exclusive electric vehicle designs based on the company’s promising Neue Klasse platform. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse made the corresponding statement in an interview with Automotive News.
At this point, the specifications of the Neue Klasse architecture are still largely undisclosed, and we only have some concept images to go by.
China is a major market for BMW, accounting for approximately 30% of its total sales. It is therefore not surprising that the German carmaker wants to produce a separate vehicle lineup for that country taking into accounts the local customers’ tastes and preferences. We have yet to learn how different the Chinese Neue Klasse lineup will be compared to the international one, though.
The next generation of BMW EVs is set to reach production in 2025 and ship to Europe, the USA and Australia. China will receive it a year later, when the factory in Shenyang starts operation.
The Vision Neue Klasse show car that BMW brought to the Munich show (in the gallery below) should give you an approximate idea of the company’s new design direction.