BMW is set to unveil the 2026 iX3 at the Munich Motor Show, introducing the first electric vehicle built on its Neue Klasse platform. The new SUV is the opening act for a major BMW EV rollout, with an electric version of the 3 Series sedan scheduled to follow.

The Neue Klasse architecture represents BMW’s next dedicated-EV strategy at a time when several automakers are reducing or delaying their electric-vehicle plans. BMW is instead putting the platform at the center of its future product lineup, making the iX3 one of the company’s most consequential new models.

Range and charging targets

BMW says the iX3 will deliver a combination of efficiency and charging performance intended to challenge the current EV leaders. The company is promising Tesla-beating efficiency and charging speeds that rank among the fastest available in the United States.

The headline targets are a 400-mile range and the ability to charge at up to 400 kilowatts. Those figures are targets rather than final production specifications in the information available ahead of the reveal, but they establish the performance benchmark BMW is aiming for with Neue Klasse.

InsideEVs drove an iX3 prototype and reported being impressed by the vehicle, including its targeted range and charging capability. More details about the production model are expected as BMW completes its debut at the Munich show.

What the Neue Klasse platform means

BMW describes Neue Klasse as more than a new battery-electric chassis. The platform also brings a different approach to integrating the vehicle’s dynamic systems, suggesting that the iX3 will use a more unified electronic and control architecture than BMW’s earlier EV efforts.

The iX3 is the first of many Neue Klasse models. Its follow-up electric 3 Series will extend the platform into one of BMW’s most important vehicle lines, while the architecture’s debut in the iX3 gives the company a chance to establish its new EV technology in a high-volume format.

BMW’s historic name returns

The Neue Klasse name carries particular weight for BMW. The original Neue Klasse sedans helped transform the company and included the 2002, a model that became central to BMW’s identity. That lineage eventually developed into the 3 Series, the brand’s defining car.

Using the name for its next generation of EVs connects BMW’s electric future with one of the most important chapters in its past. The 2026 iX3 will show how closely that strategy translates into a production vehicle when the covers come off in Munich.