‘We Have To Do It Across the Range’

The BMW iX3 and the Neue Klasse architecture that it rides on will radically reshape the automaker’s lineup over the next 24 months. BMW plans to roll out the platform’s digital architecture across its portfolio and has more than 40 new or facelifted models scheduled to launch.   

According to BMW, the platform represents “quantum leaps in technology” so huge “that if we don’t integrate this technology in the current portfolio, it will feel like an old portfolio,” said Mike Reichelt, head of BMW’s Neue Klasse, in an interview with Autocar.   

He added:   

‘With the Neue Klasse, we’ve made so much progress it’s like we skipped a model generation, so we have to do it across the range.’  

Photo by: BMW

The planned updates won’t include changing the body structures of existing models. Instead, BMW “we will integrate the most relevant aspects of Neue Klasse: the design language, Panoramic iDrive, ADAS [advanced driver-assist systems], all the digital things.” This includes enhanced cybersecurity, improved over-the-air updates, and AI features.   

While the iX3 and Neue Klasse platform signal a massive styling shift for the automaker, the crossover is also BMW’s first software-defined vehicle. It has four “superbrains” that reduce the number of computer control units.   

These new computers give BMW greater control over how the vehicle operates, with one controlling the vehicle dynamics of EVs. BMW calls it the “Heart of Joy,” and it integrates the drivetrain, brakes, energy recuperation, and steering functions with 10 times the processing speed.   

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Source: BMW

Another “superbrain” handles the driver-assist systems, while the others control the infotainment and comfort functions. The digital architecture also reduces weight by 30 percent compared to previous technology while eliminating 2,000 feet of wiring.    

The move to integrate the Neue Klasse’s digital platform into the rest of the BMW lineup likely means future models will retain a core set of physical buttons and controls. Before finalizing the iX3’s design, BMW dove into the data and discovered that people really enjoy using a traditional volume knob, so it kept it on the new crossover.   

Reichelt didn’t specify when this rollout would begin, but 40 launches over 24 months translates to approximately one new reveal every month and a half. Time’s ticking.