BMW’s Neue Klasse models promise playful handling, rapid OTA updates, and constant evolution with new features arriving several times each year
The second-generation BMW iX3 arrives not just as a sharper, more capable successor to the original, but also as the first model in the Neue Klasse lineup, the range that will shape the brand’s direction for the next decade. At the heart of this shift is software. Munich stresses that the digital backbone of these cars will be central to their evolution, with the iX3 designed to receive up to three major updates every year.
BMW positions the Neue Klasse as a major technological leap, thanks in part to what it refers to as the “Heart of Joy”, a high-performance control unit that all future models will use. It works alongside the company’s proprietary Dynamic Performance Control software and controls all driving-related processes within milliseconds, including control of the wheels and the steering.
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According to Munich, this technology delivers more than just numbers on a spec sheet. Christoph Grote, BMW’s senior vice president of electronics and software, told Automobilwoche that the iX3 feels light, precise, and even playful on the road.
“I hardly know a BMW driver who has gotten out of the New Class iX3 after a few laps on the handling course without a broad smile on their face,” he said. “It’s difficult to put into words. You have to experience it. The car handles very easily, almost playfully, and with unprecedented precision.”
Always Evolving
But BMW also points to long-term potential. Every electronic system in the Neue Klasse is designed to be updated over the air, ensuring the iX3 will gain new capabilities long after it leaves the factory. The same will apply to all of its future Neue Klasse models.
“Most competitors can only update the infotainment system, but we can update the entire car – all control units, the drive system, charging, ADAS… This is an essential capability for the Software Defined Vehicle,” Grote said.
“Compared to our current production vehicles, the software volume in the New Class vehicles is roughly quadrupled. So it’s great that we already have so much experience with over-the-air updates, and that in the future, the update installation in a BMW will also be completed in approximately 20 minutes – across all drive types.”
BMW’s next-generation electronic systems are slated to reach 40 models by the end of 2027, all of them benefiting from frequent updates.
“On the functional side, we’re constantly evolving for our customers. We plan to release three updates per year, which will also bring tangible, new features to customers,” Grote said when speaking about the iX3. “This allows us to keep the vehicles looking fresh for a very long time without having to physically intervene on the car itself. Our customers will experience many exciting innovations in the New Class vehicles over the coming years.”
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