Future BMW models will all feature distinct designs as the company rapidly rolls out the new Neue Klasse design language across its line-up, according to design chief Adrian van Hooydonk.
The new iX3 is the first production vehicle to feature the radical new design language, which features cleaner lines, the removal of chrome and two new, illuminated interpretations of the kidney grille – an upright version for SUVs and a flat, wider interpretation for saloons.
BMW will rapidly roll out new Neue Klasse models, such as the new i3 due next year, but will also heavily facelift its current EV and combustion models to reflect the new design. That will involve more than 40 new model launches in the next two years.
While all the new models will feature variations on the two kidney grilles, Van Hooydonk said that while they would clearly be part of the “same family”, each model would have “very different features and characteristics”.
He added: “We want to give each of our products their own character, and that’s more true today than ever before, because each of our products will encounter different competitors in their segment, and you have to be very aware of it.
“It’s not enough to just be the BMW in the segment: you have to be the best in each segment, and you have to think about what that segment needs and wants, and what the competition is likely to do. And then you have to plot your own course.
“We have grown [our range] in the last couple of years and in the last decades, and the secret to that success is that we offer real choices to our customers. We offer a family resemblance, but it’s not Russian dolls. We’re going to continue in that vein with this new family.”
A key part of the Neue Klasse design philosophy is a reduction in the number of lines and trim elements featured in the exterior styling. Van Hooydonk added that would be reflected in the design of future M performance models, but said they would still be “more expressive” than the rest of the range – and cited the i8 as a source of inspiration.
“It’s typical they are more expressive, because they are faster cars and more dynamic, and that is what they will express,” said van Hooydonk. “But in those cars there will be a certain restraint in the designs that we started years ago with the i3 and i8, and then continued with i4 and iX. What you see here is built upon all those steps, and now it’s going to get rolled out over the entire portfolio.
“If you do a very clean design it will probably last longer, and that’s also good for our customers, because it’s good for resale value and we’re also aiming to extend the life cycles of our product.”
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James is Autocar’s associate editor, and has more than 20 years of experience of working in automotive and motorsport journalism. He has been in his current role since September 2024, and helps lead Autocar’s features and new sections, while regularly interviewing some of the biggest names in the industry. Oh, and he once helped make Volkswagen currywurst. Really.
Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket’s e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 
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