BMW is set to initiate the third phase of its electrification strategy in 2025 with a new EV 3 Series alternative. The upcoming model will act as the pioneer for an array of vehicles that will be destined for the new platform.
As Autocar reports, this will be BMW’s sixth generation electric powertrain which promises to offer a long-range battery, rapid-charging, lightweight construction a fully customisable digital operating system with a new catalogue of sustainable construction materials.
The new electrified 3 Series alternative, which has currently been given the NK1 codename, will be sold alongside the ICE and a second battery-electric model. This product is likely to be marketed as an electric alternative to the next BMW 3 Series much like what we can expect to see with the upcoming Porsche Macan.
The upcoming modular platform to be used on the electric 3 Series alternative will eventually become the basis of all electrified BMW products from 2025. This can accommodate front- and rear-wheel drive layouts and house a series of different capacity battery packs, wheelbases and track widths. It can also vary in ride heights and accommodate wheel sizes from 18- to 20-inches.
“The Neue Klasse represents the beginning of a new phase of operations for BMW,” said research and development chief Frank Weber. “It’s scaled to allow us to build electric cars from a 2 Series-sized saloon up to an X7-sized SUV.”
“We won’t be building separate structures. The Neue Klasse will see a big ramp-up in volume potential. We’ve learned a lot in scaling over the past two generations of platform development,” he said, referencing the earlier Life module architecture of the i3 and the more recently developed electrified CLAR structure of the iX and i4.
“We’re developing electric motors that will be even more efficient yet more powerful than those we use today,” he added.
