TLDR: BMW unveiled the 469-hp iX3 at IAA Munich as the first Neue Klasse production model, featuring 805km range on the generous WLTP cycle and 400kW charging that theoretically adds 372km in 10 minutes. The platform represents BMW’s largest investment ever, underpinning 40+ models by 2027. At under $60,000, it positions BMW to fight both Tesla and Chinese invaders, if they can actually deliver on these promises by spring 2026.
Oliver Zipse stood in front of Munich’s Bavarian State Opera and declared BMW had “skipped an entire generation” with their new iX3. For a CEO whose company just spent more money than they’ve ever spent on anything, that’s either supreme confidence or whistling past the graveyard. The Neue Klasse platform beneath the iX3 represents BMW’s answer to a question nobody wanted to ask: Can Munich still innovate fast enough to matter when BYD sells 8,610 cars in Germany while BMW watches?
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