BMW’s Neue Klasse of cars is going to usher in a new era of design, as it’s going to be the basis of all of BMW’s future electric cars. One of which will be the upcoming BMW i3, the electric 3 Series. When it debuts, it should have styling that’s quite a bit different than the standard 3er and the rest of the BMW lineup. While we don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like, there’s a chance it could share similarities with this new render.
This render, from Avarvarii, is based on the BMW Vision Circular Concept. While that car was more about its manufacturing process—as an exercise in building a fully recyclable car, hence the “Circular” name—its unique front end design could point to the future of the brand.
On the concept car, the massive kidney grilles are essentially big screens, capable of displaying certain messages. On the BMW i3, that would likely not be the case but it could have grilles shaped similarly to the concept. Which would be interesting, because it would be the exact opposite of BMW’s other big grille designs. The Circular concept’s grilles are short and wide, like exaggerated BMW 507 grilles and they work better than those found on the M4 and iX.
If the BMW i3 ends up looking like this, I don’t think many BMW fans will be upset. It’s sleek, sporty, and high-tech looking and its new grille is more in keeping with BMW’s traditional style. Plus, it will be an all-electric 3 Series sedan for the first time in history and it will get a new generation of BMW’s battery technology. New round cells will boost charging speed by 30 percent while reducing weight by 20 percent. That will not only help the BMW i3 charge faster but have better range and better performance, due to its lighter curb weight. While I don’t think the BMW i3 will look exactly like this, it could have some of this render’s front end in its design.
