BMW’s Vision Neue Klasse is a forward-thinking retro concept, and I love it

BMW likes concept cars. Give the company a chance and it will pull the covers from a concept giving drivers a look at what might come next. In 2023 we’ve seen the i Vision Dee, which wowed crowds with its colour-changing exterior at CES, and now at IAA, the company have revealed the Vision Neue Klasse.

I set my eyes on the Vision Neue Klasse before the big reveal, as BMW explained to me that this isn’t just about producing a new electric car, it’s about an idea of what comes next. Interestingly, in looking to move forward, BMW is looking back. As the automotive industry looks to boost its ecological credentials, it’s not just materials that are getting recycled, it’s trends too.

Gazing across the corduroy interior of the Neue Klasse, visions of a chic LA lounge from the 1970s come to mind. But the Neue Klasse feels like a sci-fi vision of the future from that period. The glass panoramic roof reminiscent of jet age concepts of an earlier decade.

But some retro features aren’t welcome, like chrome. Chrome serves no function on the car, and chrome plating isn’t an environmentally-friendly activity, so BMW is turning to light instead. The Neue Klasse carries illuminated elements where you might have once expected a big chrome grille, for example.

For those who aren’t fans of the “beaver teeth” kidney grille that recent models like the BMW iX carry, the Neue Klasse moves in a different direction, wider and functional, encompassing lighting and 3D graphics. BMW maintains that the kidney grille isn’t about a particular shape, it’s about two separate elements – but we could see that this design might prove popular.

Having mentioned the i Vision Dee, it’s worth mentioning that E Ink finds its way into the Neue Klasse too. There’s a sense of experimentation around E Ink as a material, used here for window graphics, which can guide the passenger towards the sensors for automatic door opening.

Once you slip inside the Neue Klasse, you’re faced with an experiment in technological minimalism. The interior removes as much driving clutter as possible for that lounge-like interior, a single central display remaining alongside the steering wheel. Removing the driver display is something of a trend in cars now – Tesla did it, the newly-announced Mini does it, and this concept does it.

But BMW has a clever solution to make up for the loss of driver display. Instead of requiring a separate screen, the dash is kept clear because the required information is projected onto the bottom of the windscreen. That means there’s a graphical bar across the width of the windscreen – in addition to advanced heads-up display options.

Once again BMW talks about the meeting of physical and virtual worlds – something I’ve experienced first-hand, driving a BMW M4 wearing a VR headset – but the removal of analogue controls continues. Just as we’ve seen from the new Tesla Model 3, BMW’s concept removes things like switches and stalks, with everything handled automatically, through voice control, or multifunction buttons.

Importantly, what BMW wants to show here is that there’s life in the humble saloon car, as was the message with i Vision Dee. BMW’s previous concept cycle was preparing us for the launch of the big BMW iX, and now we’re being prepared for something else – the replacement of BMW’s iconic 3 Series.

Much of what we see here won’t make it beyond concept, but the platform and the eDrive system that BMW is talking about here – 20 per cent higher energy density, 30 per cent faster charging speeds, 30 per cent better range – are all very real. What we’re likely to see is a selection of these ideas flowing through into BMW’s new electric 3 Series, and if rumour has it, that might be unveiled in 2025.