BMW Chief Executive Officer Oliver Zipse has confirmed that the next model in the company’s Neue Klasse lineup will carry the i3 name, with production set to begin at its Munich plant in the second half of 2026. Additional production sites are expected to follow as part of the automaker’s global rollout plan.
“With the eighth generation of the 3 Series, we will bring the Neue Klasse and its technology clusters into the core of the BMW brand,” Zipse said during the company’s quarterly earnings call, according to the published transcript. The model, known internally as NA0, represents the production version of the Vision Neue Klasse concept first unveiled at the IAA 2023.
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As a low-slung saloon positioned in the 3 Series segment, the new i3 will share BMW’s next-generation modular drive system with the iX3 but use different battery cell dimensions. While SUV models such as the iX3 employ 120-millimetre-high round cells, the flatter i3 will use 95-millimetre variants of the same 46-millimetre diameter. These design choices are aimed at optimising energy density and efficiency for lower-profile vehicles.
Zipse also reported strong demand for the iX3, which entered production at BMW’s Debrecen plant in late September. “We have started taking customer orders for the car, which have exceeded our expectations,” he said. “Just looking at Europe, we see orders already extend several months into 2026. This confirms an exceptionally positive start for the vehicle.”
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The CEO added that technologies from the Neue Klasse platform will not remain exclusive to that architecture. “Throughout 2026, we will show how the Neue Klasse technologies will be integrated into further models, such as the 7 Series and the X5,” Zipse stated. BMW is expected to adapt the sixth-generation electric drives developed for the Neue Klasse to its CLAR platform, which currently operates on a 400-volt system, compared with the Neue Klasse’s 800-volt architecture.
By 2027, BMW plans to introduce “40 new models and model updates with Neue Klasse technology and design language on the road worldwide,” Zipse said. He added that the new generation will provide “an enormous boost” to the company’s portfolio, with technology tailored to regional markets, particularly China.
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“The Neue Klasse products we will launch in China are developed together with our local engineering teams and Chinese partners – in the market, for the market,” Zipse noted. “Our Neue Klasse architecture allows integration of local tech stacks from leading Chinese tech players into our own ecosystem. This gives consumers access to innovations and features they are used to, including solutions from Alibaba Banma, DeepSeek, and Momenta.”
The new i3 is also planned for production at BMW’s San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico, alongside Munich. The model is expected to represent a significant technological evolution over the current i3 eDrive 35L produced by BMW Brilliance Automotive in China.