BMW continues to tease its upcoming iX3, the first model that will ride on the brand’s new Neue Klasse electric platform as an EV version of the next-gen X3 crossover. The iX3 will be revealed at the Munich auto show in September and go into production in Hungary at the end of the year (and it’ll potentially be built in South Carolina as well), so it’s now in the final stages of testing in the south of France. BMW released a bunch of photos of prototypes wearing fairly light camouflage, and we’ve got more details on the iX3’s pretty impressive specs — including a range of 400 miles in the U.S., longer than any current BMW.
The iX3 was previewed by the Vision Neue Klasse X concept last spring, and judging by the camo’d cars the production model will stick very close to the concept. Its shark nose has a wing-like “grille” panel with small, thin kidneys in the center and hash-mark LED headlights at the edges, and an angular lower intake with active flaps. The body is sleek and not too busy, with prominent wheel arches, flush door handles and a pretty traditional Hofmeister kink in the greenhouse. At the rear there’s thin taillights, a raked tailgate and a pointy diffuser.
BMW’s longest-range EV
The Neue Klasse platform will debut the sixth generation of BMW’s EV powertrains, with the 800-volt battery pack using cylindrical cells that are 20% more energy dense than existing prismatic cells, and the cells will be integrated directly into the battery. BMW says the iX3 will have a range of up to 400 miles in the U.S., about 40 miles more than the longest-range iX. More important than the range are the charging speeds, which will similarly be better than any current BMW EV. The iX3 will be able to juice up at 400 kW, adding over 200 miles of range in 10 minutes, and it’ll have bi-directional charging capabilities to power accessories and appliances, your home, or the grid. In the U.S. the iX3 will come with an NACS port.
BMW
As BMW talked about with the concept Vision Driving Experience, the iX3 will have a “superbrain” that BMW calls the “Heart of Joy” to make sure the dynamics and driving experience lives up to the brand’s heritage. Here’s what BMW says about the Heart of Joy:
Together with the BMW Dynamic Performance Control software stack, the Heart of Joy is pivotal to powertrain, brakes, recuperation and sub-functions of the steering system. It processes information ten times faster than previous systems and therefore responds more directly than ever to the driver’s command. Fewer control inputs are required, directional stability is more precise and stable. As a result, the vehicle develops consistent and reproducible cornering characteristics and can be steered intuitively.
Powertrain and braking functions also work together harmoniously to decelerate the vehicle. Recuperation can be used across the whole speed range down to a standstill. Indeed, in 98 percent of cases, the vehicle can be brought to a standstill without applying the friction brakes – without noise or jolts. The Heart of Joy and BMW Dynamic Performance Control raise the BMW driving experience to a new level – from standstill to dynamic limits.
Panoramic iDrive
The iX3 will have three more superbrains: one for driver-assist systems, one for the infotainment, and one for other vehicle functions. These new processors save tons of wiring and weight compared to past vehicles, require less energy and are far faster and more powerful, and also allow for new functionality and systems. Every iX3 will have a safe exit assist system that uses side-facing radar to monitor traffic, and the available highway driving assist requires less driver intervention and can control the vehicle in more situations.
Perhaps the biggest changes are on the inside, where the iX3 will be the first production BMW to get the Panoramic iDrive infotainment system running the new Operating System X. This consists of a thin display at the base of the windshield that runs from A-pillar to A-pillar, showing things like speed and range in front of the driver with six configurable sections across the rest of the screen that can show whatever you want. Also in front of the driver is an optional 3D head-up display that projects augmented reality navigation info. The central touchscreen in the dashboard is an awesome “free-cut” trapezoidal shape, and the also weirdly shaped steering wheel has “shy-tech” haptic buttons that are only illuminated when their functions are available. It all looks like something out of a concept car, even more so than the iX’s interior did when it first came out.
BMW will probably keep trickling out information about the iX3 before its September debut, so stay tuned for more. It will be joined on the Neue Klasse platform by the electric version of the next-gen 3 Series, which will get a quad-motor M3 variant.
