BMW's Vision Neue Klasse X Concept Is A Big Step In The Right Direction

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying the Vision Neue Klasse X is much more interesting and conversation-inducing than the past few generations of BMWs.

The concept’s proportions are really nice, with a low beltline, big wheels within nicely sculpted fender flares, and short overhangs. If you look at spy photos of the production iX3, it’ll look pretty much identical. The blunt front end is pure classic BMW to my eyes, as is the greenhouse.

BMW says that all of the Neue Klasse’s chrome exterior trim has been replaced by light, such as the mirror-effect headlight elements and the illuminated kidney surround.

For most of my life I’ve been hoping BMW would bring back tall, skinny kidney grilles — I have designs in my elementary school sketchbooks to prove it — so I’m so glad it’s finally happening. The Neue Klasse X’s kidneys really suit its face, and BMW says only the SUV models will get these kidneys.

BMW is returning to more physically distinctive Hofmeister Kinks, but the Neue Klasse X also has a cool design etched into the glass to accentuate the angled D-pillar.

The concept has these little trapezoidal tabs coming off the window surround trim used as door handle pulls, but the production model will have more traditional flush handles in the doors themselves.

I love how the bodywork on the liftgate echoes the sculpting created by the front kidneys, and the subtle point that the base of the rear glass comes to. It would be cool if the production cars get the etched BMW roundels, though that’s not likely.

BMW’s latest interiors are finally recapturing the magic of the i3, and the Neue Klasse X takes it to another level. It has a wonderful mix of shapes, materials and textures, and the design feels airy and special.

There’s some wonderful ambient lighting going on, including in the dashboard panel itself — animated light shines through the fabric in reaction to infotainment inputs.

We’re finally starting to get screens of interesting shapes, and the Neue Klasse X’s is awesome. The system is fully touchscreen, with fantastic graphics and super smooth operation powered by multiple “superbrains,” and all of it will translate to production. The Panoramic Visionscreen that wraps around the base of the windshield can show a half-dozen different points of information that are easy to customize on the fly — that’ll be found in the production cars, too.

The crystal seat controls that first debuted on the iX and i7 are illuminated here. You can also see the slim air vents that run across the dashboard, which are illuminated too.

The lounge-like back seat is where you really want to be. The bench is wonderfully padded and has a design that looks like the best mid-mod furniture — pillows included. It’s super comfortable, and there’s tons of room to spread out despite the Neue Klasse X not being that much bigger than a current X3 on the outside.

Dedicated EV platforms, like what the Neue Klasse will use, allow for much more creative uses of space. The concept’s floating center armrest isn’t far-fetched.

The Vision Neue Klasse X previews the iX3 while last year’s Vision Neue Klasse sedan concept previews the next-gen 3 Series, but BMW says four other Neue Klasse models are on the way. It makes sense that those will be a 3 Series wagon, and coupe, convertible and Gran Coupe versions of the 4 Series, but maybe BMW will surprise us.

No matter how you feel about it, BMW’s recent direction is paying off. 2023 saw BMW set a new annual sales record in the U.S., with big increases in sales of its EV sales and more controversial models like the iX, the big kidney’d 4 Series and the new 7 Series.