BMW’s first ‘Neue Klasse EV – the BMW iX3 – is already outselling the ICE-powered X3 in BMW’s home market.
Much of what we saw in the Vision Neue Klasse X concept last year carries over into the production version of the iX3, with a sensible grille, clean surfacing and a lack of the usual butch cladding for SUVs, big taillights and a profile which still says ‘X3’.
Inside, there’s a full-width digital display and HUD, haptic controls on the steering wheel, 18″ hexagonal infotainment and even some actual buttons.
The only model available at launch – although there are more to come – was the iX3 50 xDrive, which comes with a 108.7kWh battery, 463bhp, 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, range of up to 500 miles and prices from £58,755.
Clearly, the new iX3 is a strong offering, but it seems BMW may have underestimated its appeal, as they’ve revealed the new iX3 EV is outselling the ICE X3 in their home market, with more than 3,000 orders for the iX3 in the last six weeks.
It seems the demand is causing a bit of a headache for BMW as they haven’t started production at the new factory in Hungary (although it’s imminent) built to produce Neue Klasse models, which, with its 150k annual capacity, will struggle to meet demand, although it seems BMW will also extend Neue Klasse production to Mexico.
A problem, but as problems go, not a bad one to have, and a good start for Neue Klasse.
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