The Bangle years are not only my favorite era of BMW design, but one of my favorite eras of design at any automaker. No other company was taking risks and innovating like BMW was, and Bangle’s Flame Surfacing technique forever influenced the rest of the industry. The groundbreaking i3 and i8 were similarly impactful — there’s never been a car like the i3 before it or since — but BMW got scared, and subsequent generations of its lineup got way too conservative and boring.
All of that is starting to change, finally. We first saw the tide shifting with models like the new 4 Series and M3, which debuted the hugely controversial (and physically huge) kidney grilles, and now there are BMWs where the entire design is provocative, like the iX, XM, 5 Series and 7 Series. Last year BMW previewed its next-gen design language with the Neue Klasse concept, a showcase of its upcoming EVs inspired by the groundbreaking original Neue Klasse cars of the 1960s. And instead of shying away from wild designs again, BMW is leaning in.
Last week I got to check out the second Neue Klasse concept, the new Vision Neue Klasse X, in person at the Petersen Automotive Museum. BMW will be releasing six new electric-only models on the Neue Klasse platform in the next 24 months, with this X concept previewing the first one, the next-gen iX3. Unlike the current iX3, which is just an electric version of the normal X3, the new model will be its own distinct thing, and it seems like it is gonna be awesome.
The Neue Klasse design language is innovative while being reverent to BMW’s past designs, the perfect blend of futuristic and retro. Read on to learn more about the Vision Neue Klasse X concept and see some of its coolest design details.