I'm not sure how they managed to find enough 1970s lemon-yellow corduroy pants in the thrift store to make that interior. Whoever did their shopping that day deserves a bonus. But whatever the final car ends up looking like, if they continue with no physical controls it won't make my short list. Yay buttons and stalks. Boo touch screens. And voice control just... no. If I need to talk to my car it better make snappy comebacks and help me fight crime.
Often life imitates art. Take Startrek for example. Lt. Uhura had what looked like a dimmer switch from 1960s automobiles sticking out of her ear. Her "Incoming message, Captain." notification, and short press to speak was prescient. Most of us wouldn't know what to do with ourselves without our Bluetooth devices. So, saying, "Set the temperature to 72°." *will* become the norm. That's but one small example. My little, value-conscious Chevrolet Bolt EUV has Adaptive Cruise Control, Single-pedal driving and Super Cruise (completely hands-free driving on >220,000 miles of highways in North America). I can also speak to lock/unlock, start/stop, set climate, set infotainment, get tire pressure, vehicle health, etc. One you've used any of these features, you'll never want to go back!
@@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt Nah. My last 3 cars have had it, not to mention Siri, Google, Alexa, etc.. I'm used to it but I still feel like an idiot talking to my car. Also, in one fifth of the time it takes to say "Set the temp to 72" your hand can reach over and accomplish the same. It's not like you ever need to adjust the temp by 20 degrees at a time, it's always small bits. So reach, click click, done, even if you're in the middle of a conversation. (I mean with a human).
@@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt Sorry. I just do not want to _talk_ to any of my devices (cars, computers, phones). It interrupts either your podcast or disturbs whoever else is in the car, and it's a matter of privacy. A silent interface I can use whilst still watching the road is what's needed. Thats's buttons and switches for commonly-used things, menus driven by steering-whell controls, for less-often-used things. I don't turn on the stupid 'turn left' voice on navigation software/devices either. Same reason - it's an annoying interruption that I just don't need or want.
For me it's the first time in a long time that I find a new BMW exciting and I used to be a BMW fan. I like this retro futuristic, minimalistic design. I'm sure the actual cars will look less flashy and more boring. But I hope they retain the general design language on the outside. The inside looks to me like pure phantasy and I hope that's what it's meant to be. Physical buttons have a use. Please don't make Tesla's mistake and put style and cost savings above usability and safety … And by the way: I love the mix of jokes and facts in these videos :D They are entertaining and informative at the same time.
Totally agree. Like Jack points out, you only need to look at the likes of the early 2000s M3 and M5 for what BMW used to do so well. I hope this is a bit of a reset for them and they return to tidy and purposeful design.
They used cameras for the side mirrors, because it looks cooler from the outside but then didn't add monitors for them in the inside because that always looks terrible.
@@Y2Kvids Yes they work great on my Honda e, less so the rear view mirror camera, I only flip it to screen if the interior is full of boxes/stuff and I can't see out in the normal setting. We have a normal car too and I just don't think about them being different to use. Best car I have owned in 35 years.
I expect a carbon fiber chassis in a mass market car was an incredible money loser ... and the range was short enough to make marketing the vehicle problematic, certainly in the US.
I have an i3 for the very busy and narrow streets of Bucharest and i love it. Best car for the job. First i thought it’s the ugliest car ever, then i sat in one in the showroom and understood the design and now i like it. Also, very smooth acceleration from stop.
Wow, that grill is so so so much better. I really like the concept of the full width front screen heads up display. The rest of the interior really looks cheesy
wow they aren't super ugly on the front anymore and actually look nice. I still think it needs a minimum amount of buttons and dials for often used things like climate controls and turn signals, the rest can be incorporated into the screen
BMW Neue-Klasse.. "the day BMW stopped half-arsing EVs, and went full-arse"... That is a quote for the ages! Ditto needing to apologise to neighbours for the iX and i7 WTF design buffonery... or buttonless/switchless cabins.
Indicating will all be automated by AI, however with voice recognition BMW drivers will simply be able to say "Don't Indicate Left/Right" to override the AI.
Nice one Jack, the saloon rear/side profile reminds me of the CSi from the 70s. As for those all important ‘principles’, this is what turned me from the past to the future, a mindset change they adopted with the i3. I’ve had 20 BMWs over 45 years, but now I drive an i3S and will never buy ICE again.
The are the Vision Neue Klasse concepts, I'm amazed no one has mentioned the original Neue Klasse models that set the template for all of the classic models of the 60s through the 80s into the 90s. From Wikipedia: The BMW New Class (German: Neue Klasse) was a line of sedans and coupes produced by German automaker BMW between 1962 and 1972. These models ensured BMW's solvency after the company's financial crisis of the 1950s and established the identity of BMW automobiles as sports sedans.
I love my i4s HUD - don’t need binnacle or central screen for much, the HUD is my main info display. Expanding this is a really good idea and mitigates much of the switch to large central touchscreens. Would still like some physical buttons for vital stuff though and please please keep the indicator stalks.
Well, McMurtry did manage to mount the Speirling prototype's mirrors so they were blocked my the a-pillars, but then again nobody's going to overtake one of those.
@@TheRealAndyR But the McMurtry mirrors worked right ? That thing is damn fast so as you say , you don’t need to see what’s behind cos it ain’t coming past 😃.
Having used camera mirrors after years of regular mirrors they do have some positives, mainly night visibility is definitely better, poor weather visibility is better, and ours have wide angles on the bottom which is great (bus). They also have some drawbacks (weird to get used to, depth perception, potential reliability issues, people can't see you through them etc)
...But it's a concept, so I doubt it'll look anything like that when it hits production, just like they always do! Critiquing is pointless until it's an actual thing and not a bunch of pixels we're looking at.
It is possible that the final product could be a lot like this. Porsche achieved that with the Taycan. If you compare the production Taycan with the Mission E prototype, you'll see that it's extremely similar. Probably the closest "concept -> production" I've seen short of Tesla, who's concepts are pretty much identical to their production models.
I’ve never liked BMW’s in particular (or maybe it’s their typical driver road manners I’ve taken issue with), but if BMW follows through on building cars like these, I might have a change of heart.
Those Neue Klasse saloon is starting to look more like what a new BMW should look like …. Very nice. And simplified info in front of the driver is a huge plus! Ease of recycling has to be hugely important. Liking all aspects in the way I’ve hated the look of most Beemers since E30 3 series and original 6- and 8- series….
I have an aviation background and there is a reason why pilots use buttons for simple operations and as long as I can't sleep while the car is bringing me safely to my destination, I want buttons to change my temperature. I don't want one of the 4 super brains listening to me. Just as well as I wonder what that seat cover looks like once one wants to sell the car after 5 or 6 years. That design won't age well.
Physical controls let you accomplish a task with a single step. Multi-function displays _require multiple steps_ to do a job. When you have one tool to do _everything,_ you have to continually reconfigure that tool in order to do _anything._
Nah i've had a Model S for 7 years now and I don't miss buttons one bit. The only ones I use are on the steering wheel. Audi and BMW were a mess with buttons too, just cluttered buttons everywhere and that iDrive knob they had was horrible and shit.
Finally a good looking, back to the roots design language. This will x fold their sales, for sure. And thank you for the right pronounciation of Neue Klasse. If you pronounce Porsche with an e at the end you will be my hero!
Currently driving a 2013 xDrive 3 Touring I bought new, and not finding an EV I wanted to replace it with, I added an i3 as a daily driver. Hoping to hold out until the Neue klasse 3-series replacement comes out to replace the Touring - it does look (and sound to be) great
The biggest glaring problem I see in the concept is the complete lack of physical switches and nobs. Unless somehow its going to have voice activated accessories
My general experience has been that when I like the look of concept cars as much as I like these, it mean that years later, the actual production automobiles won't look much like them. Hope that changes this time.
4:25 - the front reminds me of the 1950's 507 and is lovely. The rest of it looks like a Masarati Biturbo meets a Ampera. The inside looks lovely - but we all know it will end up drab black with some fake wood.
I really find the new (concept) ideas from BMW exciting. I've never been a complete fan of BMW's design language but I did not dislike it either. This, and however it's going to turn out, has me hoping for something new and different and - yes, exciting.
It looks much better., at least the outside. I have an iX and the look 'grows on you', but it takes time. I hope they also bring back the fun of the i3. And finally, I hope the '4 brains' will be able to control the tendency of the iX to turn things on that I do not want and actually turned off (all kind of beeps for various functions). Looking forward to your first review of the New Class.
Very interesting! Can't wait to drive one, and I do hope it has a decent amount of buttons. I love my iX - my rocket ship and Concert Hall combined! Even the front design is fine with me. But I may have to trade it in one of these new ones!
I agree, I much prefer the front of the sedan. As an I3 owner, I like what I hear. Until this, it has seemed like they forgot all they've learned in the making of the I3 and I8 as well.
The saloon looks more like a BMW than the overstyled lumps of recent years; I expect the price will exclude me but I think it looks brilliant. As a Tesla owner I also love the interior - I don't want buttons or switches thank you!
@@Roko-jb5hl - I never use buttons or screens on the move; I have it set up just how I want it so never have to change anything - most modern cars have everything set on auto anyway.
I hope the ease of disassembly for recycling also makes for cars that are easier and cheaper to repair, as a car that's easier to repair is one that is less likely to be scrapped due to a part failing or a minor collision. Insurance premiums have skyrocketed partly because modern cars are too complex and expensive to repair which I find very wasteful. As for the "super brain" bit, my interpretation of this marketing guff is that the engineers are coalescing a lot of discrete control units into a handful of physical computer systems, using virtualisation to maintain reliability and isolation between the different software subsystems. It not only means lower costs from less hardware and wiring required, but also less latency when measuring and reacting to inputs like wheel speed and throttle position, making it easier to tune the car for a better handling experience. (Source: I previously worked on building developer tools for automotive electronics suppliers like Bosch and Continental that car makers rely on for these systems).
I loved the concept of the i3 (sustainable materials etc) but have also been massively disappointed by the lack of continuity of that idea. So, this story truly excites me as we are more than a decade down the road with little thought on similar concepts. However, with EuroNCAP saying that cars must have some switches and buttons in order to achieve a 5 star rating (prompted largely by the facelift Tesla 3), I wonder if BMW will backtrack a little here. After all, the Renault Zoe was selling well with its 5* rating and when the goal posts were changed and it lost that accolade, sales dropped to practically nothing. It seems that, as far as the buyer is concerned, if it hasn’t got 5* it isn’t even worth looking at
Really like the look of these concepts. Especially the SUV, while the sedan in my opinion needs a higher beltline (they added an higher line in the glass, I hope they use that). My big question is, are we sure they will go for bespoke EV? It seems like Mercedes want to go in the opposite direction, dischi the EQ and make EV versions of current cars like the current BMWs. Interesting...
Porsche / Audi already have full electric platforms with 800v architecture arriving in 2024 (Taycan, Macan, Q6) and interiors that retain switchgear for key functions such climate control, without the hideous BMW design language.
If the design language expressed in the concept drawings is anywhere near what the production cars turn out to be like, then that will be a MAJOR improvement of what BMW have been churning out over recent years, especially on the front end. Those front grills of recent years always reminded me of the film, The Fly - dead ugly!
It looks good in that they seem to have finally abandoned Bangle's design language (compare E39 to E60 for example) and one concept seemed to have returned to the small 'kidney' grilles. But as others have said - if so much is on touch screens and you have to spend ages programming the steering wheel buttons, it's "Nein, danke" from me. A pity, because do look so good.
Would agree that the Neue Klasse's Kidney grill is more attractive than their current cars. What is considered good design can be subjective however bad design is universal.
The saloon gives me a real "2001: A Space Odyssey" shuttle vibe. Also, can someone explain why those camera stalks have to stick out so far? I mean, I'm sure they not at all expensive to replace when someone clips one of them. /s
Actually, the Euro Ncap people are going to start marking down the safety results if there are no physical controls for a defined list of controls from 2025 so I doubt the screen only looks will get to the production car.
“Whole Arsing”. Brilliant. But well done BMW; back in the game. The i3 and i8 were really well thought through (well apart from making the i8 a hybrid) but the ground-up body shell, lightweight and radical wheels were very advanced but nothing since then till now. Those camera mirrors will slice pedestrians in two so have a look at the Honda-e to see how it can be done (theirs stick out less than the wheel arches) but love the much better grill designs. Hopefully they haven’t just Osborne’d themselves with the current models!
I think the drive well make a very big difference. Even if they can make them drive as well as my Series 4 they should be a winner. Holding onto my car until the saloon is available.
I have a serious question here - for everyone who wants physical buttons for things like climate control: Wouldn't it be better to have an automated system that you can set and forget? Set it to a comfortable interior temperature, and assuming the climate control system is powerful enough to make your interior whatever temp you set, isn't that exactly what you want? I drive a model S and I set my interior temp 12 years ago and haven't touched it since, because it keeps my interior the way I want it. Why do you need to mess with the controls? If everything can automatically be kept where you want it, why do you need physical controls to mess with things?
Because what I want the temperature to be changes based on the current season, the weather and how I'm feeling. It doesn't matter whether it's actually hot or cold; it's about whether I'm feeling hot or cold.
@@bonnie115 Or as so much modern tech stuff seems to forget. More than one person in a household may want to be able to use these things. I'm continually fed up of things like our central heating thermostat that registers to one user and makes it quite difficult for anyone else.
That would be ideal. I find that I need to adjust the temperature of my i4 occasionally, even though it is thermostatically controlled. When the sun is shining, it makes the car a bit too hot. Of course, the desired temperature also depends on what you are wearing, so you do need some control. The i4 has a screen controlled system, but it is still easy to use.
All very interesting and promising and as you say needs to be much better with the voice controls if there will be no physical buttons. But then I'm sure it will be given that they are likely to be priced at super car levels for celebrities and footballers only in the first place. But hey you never know ?
For me the BMW i4 is already the EV of choice if I was in the market for an EV. Seeing these new BMW concepts really makes me look forward to what is coming (instead of the resentment I have found myself feeling with some of the offerings of other manufacturers).
So, has anyone pointed out yet that they won't actually be named "Neue Klasse" yet? (As that's just German for "New Class" and therefore would be both redundant & confusing.)
There is no doubt that BMW can come with superb quality and design.. But they should also highlight the battery mathematics... real world range, with city and highway driving, degradation, and the most concerning range drop during cold weather... Also battery replacement cost.
I had an i3 for a weekend. Loved it, except for the fact that it didn’t have the range to even make it to the next town over. And if it’s regulated to in-town… well a bicycle is a lot cheaper.
I have an i3 BEV now, mid size battery and its range is 140 miles, more than enough to reach the next city never mind town. Did you forget to charge it ?
With the right infrastructure everywhere is possible. I've driven my i3 from The Netherlands to Croatia and to Corsica. Just don't rush, better for your health as well...
@@Pignapper123 @TheRealMrSkippy as it happens, the town is right about 140 miles away. But it’s also a decent climb is elevation. The one I had said it would get around ~120 mi.
Ooh boy, do I want that car! I said once that I'll never go back to bimmers (had to pay for the timing chain issue myself!), but this would change my mind 🤤
Does anyone else get dodge challenger vibes from the design? Interior looks cool and heads up speedo etc should be in all modern cars these days. Looks cool
We all know that concepts rarely look much like the final product so I am reserving full judgement but as Jack says, it is a marked improvement in design language as a whole. The kidney grills in recent BMWs are so embarrasingly large and ugly they have been enough to put me off considering one. The interior in particular looks very "concepty" so I expect a lot of changes there. Hopefully the good stuff like the panoramic screen will stay but they'll back down a little on removing all stalks and physical buttons. I actually don't mind not having physical A/C buttons as I don't tend to alter it that much, but for gods sake give me a physical indicator stalk!
Totally with you on the design language! Huge improvement! And better efficiency - music in my ears! But removing most physical buttons and apparently the stalks?!? No, thank you BMW! But I am hopeful that at least the stalks will be back in the production car, as NCAP has indicated that they see them as safety relevant…
Electric. Digital. Circular. Love. It. Especially the "Circular" part (which, incidentally, BMW lists first on the Neue Klasse page). New, all-electric platform vs. shared platform (EV and ICE). Yes please! Their 50% goal for new vehicle sales by 2023 (scarcely 6 years from now) is laudable and new, all-electric platforms are key to that transition. Speaking of digital, do you happen to know if BMW plan to equip the Neue Klasse range with drive-by-wire systems (steering, braking, etc.)? I strongly suspect so. However, confirmation would be "wunderbar"! On the digital front, I'm hoping that monitors for those rear view cameras will be integrated in that lower, cross-cabin informatainment setup. Lastly, a vehicle purpose-built with disassembly and recycling in mind is as it should've been all along. Good on BMW for finally making this a priority, along with their thoughtful material choices, as well as the commitment to powering production via renewable energy. I look forward to BMW coming to market with these advancements and will be quite interested to learn of their pricing strategy with this range. Oh, lest I forget, as to the aesthetic, BMW nailed it. The Neue Klasse are bea•u•ti•ful. Much better, IMHO, than those recent huge octagon grills on other models. As always, well done Mr. Scarlett.
These models could potentially be a bit lighter, since they are built from the ground up as an EV. So for this saloon with an entry level battery pack, hopefully it can get near Tesla Model 3 weights although probably a bit heavier. In anyway, lighter than current electric BMWs hopefully.
I drive a 225e with that stupid giant kidney grill not because I chose but because it was the most "electric" option I had from the company. In pure electric mode it drives better than what I was expecting but I think I would be better served with a Model Y or Model 3 (the only downside would be loosing android Auto that I depend on to use Waze automatically as soon as I enter the car, hopefully Tesla will add it in the future).
The current generation BMWs with the awful 4-series, less-pretty-than-the-FGeneration 2-series, awful iX ETC will go down in history as the brands midlife crisis era. Its like were back in the 90`s.
🎉 Finally something different! They seem to be picking up on many of the technological advances of Tesla (integrated electronics, better battery packs, etc) and improving on it with a slick design. I have quite despised BMW’s focus in recent years, my most hated car in the world being the X6 M, a 625 hp car with a massive footprint, yet when a friend gave me a ride in one, there was not space for my small Brompton in the boot and the wasn’t enough space for my head on to fit in the back seat. The most pointless car in history! The Neue classe seems like a breath of fresh air!
I like the sedan.... although it strangely screams American Muscle Car to me? The headlights are rather modern Mustang and the long grill is very early 1970s. Thats not a bad thing, it's just an interesting choice.
I really like the saloon, it does very much hark back to the original with the airy greenhouse. However, it is let down by the rear lights - they are the only thing on the car that doesn't seem BMW I think they should be 100mm lower
That's a relief. For a while it looked like BMW might be a footnote in automotive history. These cars look pretty good unlike the current models that are mostly unownably fugly. Their compromised EVs have been deeply unimpressive. Having recently driven from Houston to Dallas (eclipse trip) in an X3 and back in a Toyota Rogue I was struck by how inferior the BMW was of the two (yet $10k more expensive). I feared for BMWs future. Fingers crossed that they get it right this time, and work hard to catch up with the class leaders.
A Lot of stuff that looks flashy but also done to make the manufacture cheaper and take advantage of the vastly simplified drive line and power. I dont like it frankly but I will see what turns up, I loved the i3 whan I sat in one, couldn't swing it on the company lease at the time.
I'm not sure how they managed to find enough 1970s lemon-yellow corduroy pants in the thrift store to make that interior. Whoever did their shopping that day deserves a bonus. But whatever the final car ends up looking like, if they continue with no physical controls it won't make my short list. Yay buttons and stalks. Boo touch screens. And voice control just... no. If I need to talk to my car it better make snappy comebacks and help me fight crime.
Often life imitates art. Take Startrek for example. Lt. Uhura had what looked like a dimmer switch from 1960s automobiles sticking out of her ear. Her "Incoming message, Captain."
notification, and short press to speak was prescient. Most of us wouldn't know what to do with ourselves without our Bluetooth devices. So, saying, "Set the temperature to 72°." *will* become the norm.
That's but one small example.
My little, value-conscious Chevrolet Bolt EUV has Adaptive Cruise Control, Single-pedal driving and Super Cruise (completely hands-free driving on >220,000 miles of highways in North America). I can also speak to lock/unlock, start/stop, set climate, set infotainment, get tire pressure, vehicle health, etc. One you've used any of these features, you'll never want to go back!
@@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt Nah. My last 3 cars have had it, not to mention Siri, Google, Alexa, etc.. I'm used to it but I still feel like an idiot talking to my car. Also, in one fifth of the time it takes to say "Set the temp to 72" your hand can reach over and accomplish the same. It's not like you ever need to adjust the temp by 20 degrees at a time, it's always small bits. So reach, click click, done, even if you're in the middle of a conversation. (I mean with a human).
@@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt Sorry. I just do not want to _talk_ to any of my devices (cars, computers, phones). It interrupts either your podcast or disturbs whoever else is in the car, and it's a matter of privacy. A silent interface I can use whilst still watching the road is what's needed. Thats's buttons and switches for commonly-used things, menus driven by steering-whell controls, for less-often-used things. I don't turn on the stupid 'turn left' voice on navigation software/devices either. Same reason - it's an annoying interruption that I just don't need or want.
@@xxwookey To each their own.
No buttons no buy.😱
For me it's the first time in a long time that I find a new BMW exciting and I used to be a BMW fan. I like this retro futuristic, minimalistic design. I'm sure the actual cars will look less flashy and more boring. But I hope they retain the general design language on the outside. The inside looks to me like pure phantasy and I hope that's what it's meant to be. Physical buttons have a use. Please don't make Tesla's mistake and put style and cost savings above usability and safety … And by the way: I love the mix of jokes and facts in these videos :D They are entertaining and informative at the same time.
There's talk that EuroNCAP is going to address the issue of buttons (or their absence) in upcoming changes to the ratings process
Totally agree. Like Jack points out, you only need to look at the likes of the early 2000s M3 and M5 for what BMW used to do so well. I hope this is a bit of a reset for them and they return to tidy and purposeful design.
Congratulations to BMW for designing a car for men who let their woman decide which car to buy. Just like Tesla.
@@thomasrath4305 Stick to cars from the 70s mate, they'll match your attitude.
They used cameras for the side mirrors, because it looks cooler from the outside but then didn't add monitors for them in the inside because that always looks terrible.
Presumably they would be in the massive full width screen
Cameras instead of mirrors is for aerodynamics and to eliminate blind spots. Not because it looks cool.
Camera mirrors have pros and cons but overall I think I prefer them as a driver.
Honda e has that i think
@@Y2Kvids Yes they work great on my Honda e, less so the rear view mirror camera, I only flip it to screen if the interior is full of boxes/stuff and I can't see out in the normal setting. We have a normal car too and I just don't think about them being different to use. Best car I have owned in 35 years.
As a current i3s owner, this is the first new design from the marque that I would be excited to trade for. I find the saloon to be quite attractive.
Why they discontinued the i3, one of the most appreciated and sold EVS was a mystery, not even an updated version.
Love mine. It’s a keeper.
I expect a carbon fiber chassis in a mass market car was an incredible money loser ... and the range was short enough to make marketing the vehicle problematic, certainly in the US.
I agree. I love my wife's i3!
I have an i3 for the very busy and narrow streets of Bucharest and i love it. Best car for the job. First i thought it’s the ugliest car ever, then i sat in one in the showroom and understood the design and now i like it. Also, very smooth acceleration from stop.
Wow, that grill is so so so much better.
I really like the concept of the full width front screen heads up display.
The rest of the interior really looks cheesy
I really hope they look like this! Current BMW design has completely lost its way, sadly
Well, at least it doesn't have the pig-ran-into-a-wall front grille they have now....
😂😂😂 can't get that picture out of my head now....
wow they aren't super ugly on the front anymore and actually look nice. I still think it needs a minimum amount of buttons and dials for often used things like climate controls and turn signals, the rest can be incorporated into the screen
BMW Neue-Klasse.. "the day BMW stopped half-arsing EVs, and went full-arse"... That is a quote for the ages!
Ditto needing to apologise to neighbours for the iX and i7 WTF design buffonery... or buttonless/switchless cabins.
Ahh.. But do they have the optional indicators?
They’re all mind controlled.
Darn expensive to refill the blinker oil nowadays.
We didn't see any in action in the videos so maybe they shown us the car without this feature
Indicating will all be automated by AI, however with voice recognition BMW drivers will simply be able to say "Don't Indicate Left/Right" to override the AI.
…hopefully with buttons….
I think it looks brilliant. The new design language is a huge improvement.
Nice one Jack, the saloon rear/side profile reminds me of the CSi from the 70s. As for those all important ‘principles’, this is what turned me from the past to the future, a mindset change they adopted with the i3. I’ve had 20 BMWs over 45 years, but now I drive an i3S and will never buy ICE again.
The are the Vision Neue Klasse concepts, I'm amazed no one has mentioned the original Neue Klasse models that set the template for all of the classic models of the 60s through the 80s into the 90s.
From Wikipedia: The BMW New Class (German: Neue Klasse) was a line of sedans and coupes produced by German automaker BMW between 1962 and 1972. These models ensured BMW's solvency after the company's financial crisis of the 1950s and established the identity of BMW automobiles as sports sedans.
Cool. Not sure about the ‘beach towel’ interiors though, and please keep physical buttons and stalks for the basic controls.
I love my i4s HUD - don’t need binnacle or central screen for much, the HUD is my main info display. Expanding this is a really good idea and mitigates much of the switch to large central touchscreens. Would still like some physical buttons for vital stuff though and please please keep the indicator stalks.
Classic mirrors work 100% of the time, every time .
Well, McMurtry did manage to mount the Speirling prototype's mirrors so they were blocked my the a-pillars, but then again nobody's going to overtake one of those.
@@TheRealAndyR But the McMurtry mirrors worked right ? That thing is damn fast so as you say , you don’t need to see what’s behind cos it ain’t coming past 😃.
Having used camera mirrors after years of regular mirrors they do have some positives, mainly night visibility is definitely better, poor weather visibility is better, and ours have wide angles on the bottom which is great (bus). They also have some drawbacks (weird to get used to, depth perception, potential reliability issues, people can't see you through them etc)
cameras have a slight delay which is weird, i dont like them. I pretty much prefer classic mirrors
@@unmanned_mission and classic buttons, and classic knobs, and classic steering wheels, and traditional stalks etc etc etc no doubt, yawn.
...But it's a concept, so I doubt it'll look anything like that when it hits production, just like they always do! Critiquing is pointless until it's an actual thing and not a bunch of pixels we're looking at.
The interesting thing is not the looks tho, it’s the platform
It is possible that the final product could be a lot like this. Porsche achieved that with the Taycan. If you compare the production Taycan with the Mission E prototype, you'll see that it's extremely similar. Probably the closest "concept -> production" I've seen short of Tesla, who's concepts are pretty much identical to their production models.
The production BMW i8 kept many of the design elements from the EfficientDynamics Vision concept, still the greatest concept car of this millennium.
From the outside, I’m getting a retro vibe with the styling - back to the days before SUVs existed. This can only be a good thing!
We need a touring version, please ❤
And a convertible.
I’ve never liked BMW’s in particular (or maybe it’s their typical driver road manners I’ve taken issue with), but if BMW follows through on building cars like these, I might have a change of heart.
Those Neue Klasse saloon is starting to look more like what a new BMW should look like …. Very nice. And simplified info in front of the driver is a huge plus!
Ease of recycling has to be hugely important.
Liking all aspects in the way I’ve hated the look of most Beemers since E30 3 series and original 6- and 8- series….
Finally new dedicated EVs and EV platform(s) from BMW. Love my quirky 2019 i3 (42.2kWh 120 Ah battery, no range extender). Had it for 6 months.
The i3, if you know, you know 😉
@@Pignapper123, totally 😉😁
I have an aviation background and there is a reason why pilots use buttons for simple operations and as long as I can't sleep while the car is bringing me safely to my destination, I want buttons to change my temperature. I don't want one of the 4 super brains listening to me. Just as well as I wonder what that seat cover looks like once one wants to sell the car after 5 or 6 years. That design won't age well.
Good design includes buttons and stalks. I agree
Physical controls let you accomplish a task with a single step. Multi-function displays _require multiple steps_ to do a job. When you have one tool to do _everything,_ you have to continually reconfigure that tool in order to do _anything._
Nah i've had a Model S for 7 years now and I don't miss buttons one bit. The only ones I use are on the steering wheel. Audi and BMW were a mess with buttons too, just cluttered buttons everywhere and that iDrive knob they had was horrible and shit.
Lights buttons and switches for those that must have them.
@@universeisundernoobligatio3283 I’ve not touched lights for 7 years, it’s all automatic
Hopefully the sedan Neuerklasse will come in handy to replace my enjoyable i3S in a couple of years...
like that you mastered the pronounciation of "neue Klasse " 😊
great new design (go over those '90s Alfa rearlights though)
.. but just concepts 🖖🏻
'Whole-arsing' ... love it!
I'd love to see a temperature controlled storage compartment in these and all EVs.
No physical buttons? No sale.
Finally a good looking, back to the roots design language.
This will x fold their sales, for sure.
And thank you for the right pronounciation of Neue Klasse. If you pronounce Porsche with an e at the end you will be my hero!
Currently driving a 2013 xDrive 3 Touring I bought new, and not finding an EV I wanted to replace it with, I added an i3 as a daily driver. Hoping to hold out until the Neue klasse 3-series replacement comes out to replace the Touring - it does look (and sound to be) great
Jack, that was a particularly fluent, informative episode - worth getting excited about! The video around you also looked great. 👏👏
The biggest glaring problem I see in the concept is the complete lack of physical switches and nobs. Unless somehow its going to have voice activated accessories
What's the black line that runs along the side windows?
It's a shame they're not going to look THIS good when they come out, these are beautiful.
They will
@@BBingo-v5i one can dream, I don’t hold out much hope though, every concept is ruined
My general experience has been that when I like the look of concept cars as much as I like these, it mean that years later, the actual production automobiles won't look much like them. Hope that changes this time.
3:39 very well said, good sir...couldn't agree more.
4:25 - the front reminds me of the 1950's 507 and is lovely. The rest of it looks like a Masarati Biturbo meets a Ampera. The inside looks lovely - but we all know it will end up drab black with some fake wood.
I really find the new (concept) ideas from BMW exciting. I've never been a complete fan of BMW's design language but I did not dislike it either. This, and however it's going to turn out, has me hoping for something new and different and - yes, exciting.
It looks much better., at least the outside. I have an iX and the look 'grows on you', but it takes time. I hope they also bring back the fun of the i3. And finally, I hope the '4 brains' will be able to control the tendency of the iX to turn things on that I do not want and actually turned off (all kind of beeps for various functions). Looking forward to your first review of the New Class.
Thank you, Jack and the FC team.
It all sounds rather good (and looks good too!). I don't understand the blip after the i3 but as long as they get back on track I can love BMW again.
Very lean design that takes a lot of studying. Will obviously need some resemblance of interior physical buttons at some point in the development.
The sedan looks like the concept Honda that they showed before they released the E. (Honda Sports EV Concept)
I love my i3. Everything else BMW I don't really like. These though give me hope for BMW.
Jack is such a good presenter, real asset to Fully charged…
Very interesting! Can't wait to drive one, and I do hope it has a decent amount of buttons. I love my iX - my rocket ship and Concert Hall combined! Even the front design is fine with me. But I may have to trade it in one of these new ones!
I agree, I much prefer the front of the sedan. As an I3 owner, I like what I hear. Until this, it has seemed like they forgot all they've learned in the making of the I3 and I8 as well.
The saloon looks more like a BMW than the overstyled lumps of recent years; I expect the price will exclude me but I think it looks brilliant. As a Tesla owner I also love the interior - I don't want buttons or switches thank you!
A few buttons and switches are very practical, and much safer.
The absolute worst is all those cars with the capacitive buttons…. Freaking idiots.
@@Roko-jb5hl - I never use buttons or screens on the move; I have it set up just how I want it so never have to change anything - most modern cars have everything set on auto anyway.
Screen protector for the wide front panel "grille"? Looks better than the previous "bum" or "teeth".
Nice Ep Jack. Having not owned a BMW on my driving life, I am enthusiastically waiting for your test drive of this fine looking EV, Cheers Andy
I hope the ease of disassembly for recycling also makes for cars that are easier and cheaper to repair, as a car that's easier to repair is one that is less likely to be scrapped due to a part failing or a minor collision. Insurance premiums have skyrocketed partly because modern cars are too complex and expensive to repair which I find very wasteful.
As for the "super brain" bit, my interpretation of this marketing guff is that the engineers are coalescing a lot of discrete control units into a handful of physical computer systems, using virtualisation to maintain reliability and isolation between the different software subsystems. It not only means lower costs from less hardware and wiring required, but also less latency when measuring and reacting to inputs like wheel speed and throttle position, making it easier to tune the car for a better handling experience. (Source: I previously worked on building developer tools for automotive electronics suppliers like Bosch and Continental that car makers rely on for these systems).
I loved the concept of the i3 (sustainable materials etc) but have also been massively disappointed by the lack of continuity of that idea. So, this story truly excites me as we are more than a decade down the road with little thought on similar concepts. However, with EuroNCAP saying that cars must have some switches and buttons in order to achieve a 5 star rating (prompted largely by the facelift Tesla 3), I wonder if BMW will backtrack a little here. After all, the Renault Zoe was selling well with its 5* rating and when the goal posts were changed and it lost that accolade, sales dropped to practically nothing. It seems that, as far as the buyer is concerned, if it hasn’t got 5* it isn’t even worth looking at
Have you driven the i4 with adaptive suspension? The handling is superb.
The new style for BMW looks awesome. Bring it sooner I think!
Really like the look of these concepts. Especially the SUV, while the sedan in my opinion needs a higher beltline (they added an higher line in the glass, I hope they use that).
My big question is, are we sure they will go for bespoke EV?
It seems like Mercedes want to go in the opposite direction, dischi the EQ and make EV versions of current cars like the current BMWs.
Interesting...
Porsche / Audi already have full electric platforms with 800v architecture arriving in 2024 (Taycan, Macan, Q6) and interiors that retain switchgear for key functions such climate control, without the hideous BMW design language.
If the design language expressed in the concept drawings is anywhere near what the production cars turn out to be like, then that will be a MAJOR improvement of what BMW have been churning out over recent years, especially on the front end. Those front grills of recent years always reminded me of the film, The Fly - dead ugly!
I didn’t think they could go uglier than those big armoured tank things you see on the roads these days - but they did it!
Of note, if those ever make it to the USA they'll definitely have at least one physical button: The Hazzard Flasher Switch.
It looks good in that they seem to have finally abandoned Bangle's design language (compare E39 to E60 for example) and one concept seemed to have returned to the small 'kidney' grilles. But as others have said - if so much is on touch screens and you have to spend ages programming the steering wheel buttons, it's "Nein, danke" from me. A pity, because do look so good.
Would agree that the Neue Klasse's Kidney grill is more attractive than their current cars. What is considered good design can be subjective however bad design is universal.
The saloon gives me a real "2001: A Space Odyssey" shuttle vibe.
Also, can someone explain why those camera stalks have to stick out so far? I mean, I'm sure they not at all expensive to replace when someone clips one of them. /s
It's the platforms that count now. A car is a car is a car. But it's the platform that makes a difference
Actually, the Euro Ncap people are going to start marking down the safety results if there are no physical controls for a defined list of controls from 2025 so I doubt the screen only looks will get to the production car.
“Whole Arsing”. Brilliant.
But well done BMW; back in the game. The i3 and i8 were really well thought through (well apart from making the i8 a hybrid) but the ground-up body shell, lightweight and radical wheels were very advanced but nothing since then till now.
Those camera mirrors will slice pedestrians in two so have a look at the Honda-e to see how it can be done (theirs stick out less than the wheel arches) but love the much better grill designs. Hopefully they haven’t just Osborne’d themselves with the current models!
I would like to see analog dials, buttons, simple performance, great audio system, no screens and no sw distractions.
Like Neue class external design however love the iX especially at front in Phytonic Blue
The saloon is a marvel. They better bring the corduroy to the production vehicle.
A potential return to form for BMW following a few years of design disappointments. Looking forward to how this new approach develops.
I think the drive well make a very big difference. Even if they can make them drive as well as my Series 4 they should be a winner. Holding onto my car until the saloon is available.
I have a serious question here - for everyone who wants physical buttons for things like climate control: Wouldn't it be better to have an automated system that you can set and forget? Set it to a comfortable interior temperature, and assuming the climate control system is powerful enough to make your interior whatever temp you set, isn't that exactly what you want? I drive a model S and I set my interior temp 12 years ago and haven't touched it since, because it keeps my interior the way I want it. Why do you need to mess with the controls?
If everything can automatically be kept where you want it, why do you need physical controls to mess with things?
Because what I want the temperature to be changes based on the current season, the weather and how I'm feeling. It doesn't matter whether it's actually hot or cold; it's about whether I'm feeling hot or cold.
@@bonnie115 Or as so much modern tech stuff seems to forget. More than one person in a household may want to be able to use these things. I'm continually fed up of things like our central heating thermostat that registers to one user and makes it quite difficult for anyone else.
That would be ideal. I find that I need to adjust the temperature of my i4 occasionally, even though it is thermostatically controlled. When the sun is shining, it makes the car a bit too hot. Of course, the desired temperature also depends on what you are wearing, so you do need some control. The i4 has a screen controlled system, but it is still easy to use.
That’s what I do on my model 3. Set it to auto at 20 Celsius and that’s it. The car does the rest.
All very interesting and promising and as you say needs to be much better with the voice controls if there will be no physical buttons. But then I'm sure it will be given that they are likely to be priced at super car levels for celebrities and footballers only in the first place. But hey you never know ?
For me the BMW i4 is already the EV of choice if I was in the market for an EV. Seeing these new BMW concepts really makes me look forward to what is coming (instead of the resentment I have found myself feeling with some of the offerings of other manufacturers).
So, has anyone pointed out yet that they won't actually be named "Neue Klasse" yet?
(As that's just German for "New Class" and therefore would be both redundant & confusing.)
There is no doubt that BMW can come with superb quality and design.. But they should also highlight the battery mathematics... real world range, with city and highway driving, degradation, and the most concerning range drop during cold weather... Also battery replacement cost.
The iX gets a lot of flack for it's front, but IMO not nearly enough for it's rear.
I had an i3 for a weekend. Loved it, except for the fact that it didn’t have the range to even make it to the next town over.
And if it’s regulated to in-town… well a bicycle is a lot cheaper.
I have an i3 BEV now, mid size battery and its range is 140 miles, more than enough to reach the next city never mind town. Did you forget to charge it ?
With the right infrastructure everywhere is possible. I've driven my i3 from The Netherlands to Croatia and to Corsica. Just don't rush, better for your health as well...
@@Pignapper123 @TheRealMrSkippy as it happens, the town is right about 140 miles away. But it’s also a decent climb is elevation.
The one I had said it would get around ~120 mi.
Ooh boy, do I want that car! I said once that I'll never go back to bimmers (had to pay for the timing chain issue myself!), but this would change my mind 🤤
I love Neue Classe design! It's airy and unique. Like sixties-seventies BMW's
I wonder when you pull out of the garage if that top starts tinting how are you not going to get sunburnt riding around in that car?
Does anyone else get dodge challenger vibes from the design? Interior looks cool and heads up speedo etc should be in all modern cars these days. Looks cool
I love the looks of this New Class. The future looks good!
Great work Xpeng
They are proving to be better tho
They should try making Analogue/Digital-less EVs
I read it more as Hyundai … lots of Ioniq 5 in the Neue Klasse
We all know that concepts rarely look much like the final product so I am reserving full judgement but as Jack says, it is a marked improvement in design language as a whole. The kidney grills in recent BMWs are so embarrasingly large and ugly they have been enough to put me off considering one.
The interior in particular looks very "concepty" so I expect a lot of changes there. Hopefully the good stuff like the panoramic screen will stay but they'll back down a little on removing all stalks and physical buttons. I actually don't mind not having physical A/C buttons as I don't tend to alter it that much, but for gods sake give me a physical indicator stalk!
Totally with you on the design language! Huge improvement! And better efficiency - music in my ears! But removing most physical buttons and apparently the stalks?!? No, thank you BMW! But I am hopeful that at least the stalks will be back in the production car, as NCAP has indicated that they see them as safety relevant…
Electric. Digital. Circular. Love. It. Especially the "Circular" part (which, incidentally, BMW lists first on the Neue Klasse page).
New, all-electric platform vs. shared platform (EV and ICE). Yes please! Their 50% goal for new vehicle sales by 2023 (scarcely 6 years from now) is laudable and new, all-electric platforms are key to that transition.
Speaking of digital, do you happen to know if BMW plan to equip the Neue Klasse range with drive-by-wire systems (steering, braking, etc.)? I strongly suspect so. However, confirmation would be "wunderbar"!
On the digital front, I'm hoping that monitors for those rear view cameras will be integrated in that lower, cross-cabin informatainment setup.
Lastly, a vehicle purpose-built with disassembly and recycling in mind is as it should've been all along. Good on BMW for finally making this a priority, along with their thoughtful material choices, as well as the commitment to powering production via renewable energy.
I look forward to BMW coming to market with these advancements and will be quite interested to learn of their pricing strategy with this range.
Oh, lest I forget, as to the aesthetic, BMW nailed it. The Neue Klasse are bea•u•ti•ful. Much better, IMHO, than those recent huge octagon grills on other models.
As always, well done Mr. Scarlett.
It looks like an Aston Martin and a dodge charger fused.
We want a new i3s. A nice small hatchback with better battery and range. not everyone wants a huge family car that is over 2 tonnes.
These models could potentially be a bit lighter, since they are built from the ground up as an EV.
So for this saloon with an entry level battery pack, hopefully it can get near Tesla Model 3 weights although probably a bit heavier.
In anyway, lighter than current electric BMWs hopefully.
Did Jack forget the old G i8? No mention at all 1:23
It was hybrid only, BMW never made it the full electric car it really should have been form the start.
I drive a 225e with that stupid giant kidney grill not because I chose but because it was the most "electric" option I had from the company. In pure electric mode it drives better than what I was expecting but I think I would be better served with a Model Y or Model 3 (the only downside would be loosing android Auto that I depend on to use Waze automatically as soon as I enter the car, hopefully Tesla will add it in the future).
The current generation BMWs with the awful 4-series, less-pretty-than-the-FGeneration 2-series, awful iX ETC will go down in history as the brands midlife crisis era. Its like were back in the 90`s.
🎉 Finally something different! They seem to be picking up on many of the technological advances of Tesla (integrated electronics, better battery packs, etc) and improving on it with a slick design. I have quite despised BMW’s focus in recent years, my most hated car in the world being the X6 M, a 625 hp car with a massive footprint, yet when a friend gave me a ride in one, there was not space for my small Brompton in the boot and the wasn’t enough space for my head on to fit in the back seat. The most pointless car in history! The Neue classe seems like a breath of fresh air!
Love the look of that sedan!!
Every review channel...."We don't normally pay attention to concepts, but THIS ONE!!! CHECK IT OUT"
I like the sedan.... although it strangely screams American Muscle Car to me? The headlights are rather modern Mustang and the long grill is very early 1970s. Thats not a bad thing, it's just an interesting choice.
Love the styling on the sedan. Love that new grill, soooo much better than the buck teeth
I really like the saloon, it does very much hark back to the original with the airy greenhouse. However, it is let down by the rear lights - they are the only thing on the car that doesn't seem BMW I think they should be 100mm lower
Rob's Roast (video by AIM) has some interesting comments about FCS blocking, and more.
That's a relief. For a while it looked like BMW might be a footnote in automotive history.
These cars look pretty good unlike the current models that are mostly unownably fugly.
Their compromised EVs have been deeply unimpressive.
Having recently driven from Houston to Dallas (eclipse trip) in an X3 and back in a Toyota Rogue I was struck by how inferior the BMW was of the two (yet $10k more expensive).
I feared for BMWs future. Fingers crossed that they get it right this time, and work hard to catch up with the class leaders.
Good looking, finally a dedicated EV architecture - now BMW just needs their own charging infrastructure.
A Lot of stuff that looks flashy but also done to make the manufacture cheaper and take advantage of the vastly simplified drive line and power. I dont like it frankly but I will see what turns up, I loved the i3 whan I sat in one, couldn't swing it on the company lease at the time.