Electric BMW i3 Neue Klasse rolls off BMW’s production line in Munich – sort of

The new BMW 3 Series Neue Klasse will arrive this summer, ahead of which the first pre-series i3 models roll off the production line.

The legacy car world has struggled to compete with Tesla as EVs are forced on a generally unreceptive audience by regulation, but things are now changing as traditional car makers start to get their EV act properly together.

One of those is BMW – the most successful of the German premium brands with its EVs so far – which has started to roll out its Neue Klasse models with the arrival of the new BMW iX3, which boasts impressive range, power and performance and looks almost identical to the ICE-based Neue Klasse models to follow.

Next up for BMW’s Neue Klasse models is the new BMW 3 Series, first teased three years ago with the i Vision Dee and its colour-shifting exterior, and later that year with the BMW Vision Neue Klasse.

That gave us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the new 3 Series, and the arrival of the new iX3 has added to that with its smooth surfacing and decent-looking kidney grille.

Now, ahead of a debut in the summer, BMW is rolling pre-series production i3s through the production line in Munich (pictured above), ahead of production starting in earnest in the second half of the year.

Frankly, the camouflaged i3 tells us nothing we don’t already know, and BMW isn’t divulging powertrain information, either for the electric i3 or ICE-based 3 Series, but the i3 could start with the same powertrain the iX3 has, which means a 500-mile range and 463bhp.

Peter Weber, Head of BMW Group Plant Munich, said:

Production of pre-series vehicles is an important milestone for our plant. For the first time, we have built a BMW i3 entirely at our plant – using state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and digitally connected processes. With production now close to series maturity, our logistics and production processes are performing under real-world conditions across all technologies