BMW will shift its EV product onslaught into high gear next year with the first modern Neue Klasse model. Codenamed “NA5,” the inaugural electric vehicle on the dedicated platform will replace today’s iX3. We’re not entirely sure it’ll retain the moniker but production is scheduled to commence in the latter half of 2025. About a year later, an M Performance version should follow.
According to a well-known BMW insider from the Bimmer Post forums, there will be a hot electric flavor as the M60 xDrive. It’s apparently set to hit the assembly line in July 2026, so the first deliveries should occur before the end of the year. The beefier variant will slot above the lesser iX3 40, iX4 40 xDrive, and 50 xDrive models. When it arrives, it’ll supposedly have 21-inch wheels along with M Sport brakes and suspension. Better seats and an upgraded sound system will be part of the standard equipment, too.
Meanwhile, the standard iX3 will enter series production in July 2025 at the new Debrecen plant. BMW hasn’t confirmed this yet but the future EV could also be made in Mexico. Assembly could start at the San Luis Potosi plant in the second half of 2026. If the M Performance model is coming a year after the regular variant, the rumored M isn’t due until 2027 at the earliest. The range-topper purportedly carries the “ZA5” internal codename.
Neue Klasse is going to be a huge deal for BMW. Officials from Munich have said NK represents the company’s largest investment ever. The iX3 will usher in sixth-generation battery tech with cylindrical cells to replace the prismatic cells currently in use. Energy density is estimated to increase by 20% while range and charging speed should jump by 30%. A maximum range of 700 to 800 kilometers (435 to 497 miles) in the WLTP cycle is mooted.
Following the iX3’s launch next year, BMW will have at least five other NK-based electric vehicles on sale by 2028. Only a 3 Series-like sedan has been announced, with production starting in 2026 at the Munich plant. We believe the Bavarians are also cooking up an i3 Touring and an iX4. Logic tells us at least one China-specific model is planned.
Source: Bimmer Post
