For those who want to know what BMWs will look like from next year, a visit to a fortune teller is not necessary. BMW previously showed the Vision Neue Class. “That's just a concept car,” we hear you think, but BMW says it really wants to put this and the newer Neue Klasse Vision But what other BMWs will be available soon? And is there still room for a (relatively) affordable electric car such as the BMW i3?
After the presentation of the annual figures, Top Gear Netherlands asks BMW board member Frank Weber about a statement he made earlier. Weber hinted last year that there is room for a cheap entry-level model at Neue Klasse. However, nothing was said about this at the recent BMW presentation. Can we still expect a cheap BMW and can it compete with upcoming EVs in the price range up to 25,000 euros?
BMW 'continues to sell affordable vehicles'
Weber says: 'We will start with the Neue Klasse next year. First we will see cars in our highest volume segments and many models will follow.” In any case, the beginning is the Neue Klasse X of the size X1. “I can't say anything specific about other models yet, but it is of course essential for BMW to continue offering affordable vehicles,” Weber adds.
![Neue Klasse Vision sedan with Frank Weber](https://media.1815.io/topgear/i/width=1920&height=1080/2024/04/neue-klasse-vision-sedan-3-4-voor-frank-weber.jpg)
According to the BMW CEO, the brand already offers affordable models. The cheapest BMW you can buy now is the 1-series, which goes for at least 38,139 euros in the Netherlands (30,660 euros in Belgium). The cheapest electric car from BMW at the moment is the iX1 at 48,475 euros (57,950 euros in Belgium). We do not expect a BMW of 25,000 euros anytime soon – it remains a brand from the higher segment.
Neue Klasse is not just electric
At the end of his statement, Weber tells something interesting about the Neue Klasse: 'In general, the Neue Klasse comes into all relevant segments and clusters of Neue Klasse technology will influence the entire future of the BMW product portfolio, even beyond pure electric cars.' So there will also be BMWs running on hydrogen, petrol or diesel that use items from the Neue Klasse generation.
![BMW i16 successor to BMW i8 diagonally at the front](https://media.1815.io/topgear/i/full/2024/02/bmw-i16-opvolger-i8-3-4-voor-boven.jpg)
![BMW i16 successor to BMW i8 diagonally at the front](https://media.1815.io/topgear/i/full/2024/02/bmw-i16-opvolger-i8-3-4-voor-boven.jpg)
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