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Senior Staff Writer
BMW’s Neue Klasse of EVs is finally here.
The German luxury marque unveiled the new iX3 on Friday in the lead-up to next week’s IAA Mobility show in Munich. The latest version of the compact SUV is the first production vehicle to feature the company’s new design language and also comes with a dual-motor powertrain that makes over 400 hp.
BMW may be one of the few legacy automakers that has figured out how to sell EVs, but it sees that as no reason to be complacent. In 2023, the company announced plans to radically reimage its next wave of battery-powered sedans and SUVs. This new generation of EVs, dubbed the Neue Klasse after the line of cars that turned the brand’s fortunes around in the 1960s, will feature a bold new design language and exciting technological advancements.
Sure enough, the new iX3 looks quite different from its predecessor (and not that far off from the Neue Klasse X concept). The EV features a more streamlined shape and a profile closer to that of a wagon than your classic high-riding SUV. That doesn’t mean that the four-door looks like an amorphous blob, though (unlike some of its competitors). Instead, it features defined lines that give it a more aggressive and all-new kidney grille design that we imagine will be less controversial than the last. Rounding things out are a set of 20-inch wheels, though 21- or 22-inch rims are available as part of the M Sport package.
The overall look of the redesigned five-seat cabin is a touch on the generic side, but there are some interesting (and forward-thinking) features. Chief among these is a full-width gauge cluster called the Panoramic iDrive that runs along the bottom of the windshield, separate from the 17.9-inch infotainment touchscreen at the center of the dashboard. The steering wheel also features a unique oval shape and plenty of buttons. Other features (and options) include two-zone automatic climate control, wireless charging, and a 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
The launch version of the EV will be the iX3 50 xDrive. Its powertrain consists of two electric motors that give it all-wheel drive and combine to produce 463 hp and 473 ft lbs of torque. BMW says the SUV will be able to sprint from zero to 60 in just 4.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 130 mph. The M Sport package suggests that a more powerful M version will eventually follow, too.
Those aren’t the only performance numbers that matter when it comes to an EV, though. BMW says the new iX3 can run for 500 miles on a charge according to the European WLTP testing cycle. The EPA’s standards tend to be much harsher, but automaker says it is targeting a 400-mile range in the U.S. A 400-kW charging rate suggests there’s little reason for range anxiety, too. The brand says you’ll be able to add 231 miles of driving range in just 10 minutes.
The 2026 BMW iX3 is expected to go on sale in Europe next spring and the U.S. in the summer. Because of that, we’ll have to wait for the final details to be worked out, but in its home continent, the EV will start at €68,900, which works out to just shy of $81,000.
Click here for more photos of the 2026 BMW iX3.
Senior Staff Writer
Bryan Hood is a digital staff writer at Robb Report. Before joining the magazine, he worked for the New York Post, Artinfo and New York magazine, where he covered everything from celebrity gossip to…
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