With the launch of the Neue Klasse, technologies that just a few years ago seemed like wishful thinking now lie at the heart of the driving experience. New technologies that blend into your everyday life and adapt, learn and connect so seamlessly that you might forget they’re even there.
And this is no small thing. For people like Daniel Fischer, Senior Creative Technologist and Marcel Ottmann, Head of User Interface Design Systems, who have witnessed the development of the Neue Klasse first-hand, the launch of the BMW iX3, the first production car to be built on the Neue Klasse platform, is a real watershed moment: “The whole experience really is incredible,” says Ottmann, and continues: “Through the last phases of testing, we began to really get a feel of everything that is coming together in this vehicle.”
“All the systems are exceptional” Fischer adds. “It really is something very special.”
But how exactly? What is new, and what do you need to know? With the help of Ottmann and Fischer, we dug deep and listed five ways that the Neue Klasse will change the relationship with your car.
Sometimes the best route is not more screens, pixels, and spectacle. Instead, the Neue Klasse is defined by clarity.
The Panoramic iDrive, for example, doesn’t dominate. It floats. Built on reflection rather than projection, it creates a layer of information that feels integrated, not imposed.
“We didn’t want just bigger and more screens,” says Fischer. “We wanted a new approach, one that’s more human-centred, for the best driver orientation we ever had.”
The result is ergonomically clever, but also emotional. With less clutter, no traditional instrument cluster, and an elegant dashboard architecture, information becomes atmosphere. And your driving gets your full focus.
Seamless intelligence also means that your car anticipates your next move.
Imagine this: a car that delivers exactly what you need, exactly when and where you need it – information arranged intelligently, without duplication. You get in, and your personal settings and what you need in certain contexts is already there. All without you pressing a single button. “The vehicle understands what I want. It thinks ahead. That makes the difference,” Fischer explains. “For example, for charging, I don’t need to get approval through an app or fumble with an RFID card to charge. The car knows. It’s just seamless.”
From Plug & Charge authentication to predictive climate control and battery preconditioning, every detail is designed to create the easiest and fastest user interaction possible. Especially for drivers new to electric mobility, the Neue Klasse is built to make everything just a little bit easier.
The Neue Klasse is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Everything from the interior and UI/UX, to lighting, mood, functions and services is perfectly adaptable to fit your preferences. It’s your car, your personal retreat, and you can shape it exactly the way you want it.
For example: Your BMW ID carries your entire setup; your logins, your personal settings, your preferred content. All this is already there and can be used to configure the car to suit your preferences, as you know and like them. This gives you the flexibility and customisation options you know from elsewhere in your digital life. Navigation and recent phone contacts may be important to one driver, while media and most used shortcuts may be more important to another. And to make sure the mood is always right, you can even choose the perfect colour palette so that UI and light is perfectly aligned and orchestrated to suit your experience. “The interface adjusts to your preferences and profile, even the lighting,” says Ottmann
This is meaningful personalisation: your layout and your preferences are just there. No complicated setup, but a system that grows and learns to always offer you what you need. Whether it’s your third-party app logins or your air vent angle, your car always feels like yours, instantly and effortlessly. Just the way you need it to be.
Today, a car is more than something you drive – it’s an intuitive extension of your digital world, fully integrated and always connected. That’s why the Neue Klasse is designed to extend the BMW experience beyond the vehicle – with remote access, real-time syncing, and bi-directional dialogue between the vehicle and the My BMW App.
For example: You search a destination on your smartphone, send it to the car, and it’s there when you get in. Or maybe you want to have a quick overview of your charging status before you head out on your next drive. All the info you need is right with you, in your pocket, with plenty of opportunities to manage your vehicle, even when it’s not immediately with you. Your BMW is never more than a swipe and click away, with the My BMW app acting as a bridge to keep you connected to your car.
Or, in the words of Ottmann: “Connection is key. The My BMW App builds a bridge between my digital life and my everyday experience with the car.”
The Neue Klasse isn’t just a new series. It’s a re-imagination of what a car can be, and how it fits into your everyday life.
Just as the original Neue Klasse (➜ Read also: BMW vintage cars: All about the Neue Klasse) shaped the BMW we know today, this new chapter marks the beginning of a longterm transformation: Not just toward electrification or digitalization per se, but toward truly intelligent mobility and back to genuine driving pleasure.
The Heart of Joy, new UI/UX design, intelligent tech and the HypersonX do promise a new experience of driving pleasure in the digital age. But it’s the way these innovations come together that defines the real leap forward.
“This is the real deal,” Ottmann says and continues: “It’s going to be a real game changer. I honestly want to get one for myself as soon as it hits the market."
The Neue Klasse isn’t about learning how to use your car differently. Its promise is to adapt to your needs, amplify your experiences, and make your time behind the wheel easier, more intuitive and more filled with everyday joy. It marks a shift from complexity to clarity and introduces technologies that work in seamless symphony and challenge the very ideas of what a car can be and do. It is the dawn of a new era – for BMW, for mobility itself, and for you, the driver, too.
Author: David Barnwell; Art Direction: Verena Aichinger, Lucas Lemuth, Madita O’Sullivan; Photos & Video: BMW
