BMW has teased the latest test rig for its Neue Klasse vehicle platform, which is supposed to underpin the next generation of the brand’s products. The automobile has been dubbed the “BMW Vision Driving Experience” and is not intended for sale. However, the camouflage would seem to indicate that some elements of its design will underpin forthcoming production vehicles.
The Vision Driving Experience is very obviously a continuation of some of the design elements previewed by BMW in 2023 when it revealed the Vision Neue Klasse concept car. In fact, the duo share a more traditional three-box design and all-new elongated grille. The latter aspect would shift the brand away from the massive kidney grilles presently being utilized and back toward shapes first seen in the 1950s.
While familiar, the grille isn’t derivative of any singular design and instead borrows elements from numerous eras. The overall shape is very BMW 507 (1956-1959) but it encompasses the headlamps in a manner similar to the original “Neue Klasse” (New Class) vehicles that launched in the early 1960s. It also features dual headlamps, which has been a signature aesthetic for the brand since the 1970s.
BMW is promising “top-class dynamics, precision, efficiency and driving pleasure” from the resulting vehicles — something that’s arguably been lacking since the company started to implement electronic steering. But this is something we could say about most car manufacturers, as the absence of a direct mechanical connection between the steering wheel and tires limits feedback and responsiveness.
The company said the platform would serve “as a rolling test rig for drivetrain and driving dynamics management technology developed specially for the Neue Klasse.” However, this will be handled by an allegedly special computerized brain, which BMW called the “Heart of Joy” and confirmed would come on every new all-electric model it sells.
“The Heart of Joy enables us to take driving pleasure not just to the next level, but another one beyond that,” stated Frank Weber, BMW’s board member responsible for new vehicle development. “In addition, we are further increasing efficiency, and therefore boosting range, as in future the driver will brake almost exclusively using energy regeneration. This is Efficient Dynamics squared.”
It looks like the big get here is the fact that BMW has totally integrated the electric drivetrain with the computer. It’s supposed to process information ten times faster than the previous system and work in tandem with the brand’s Dynamic Performance Control software.
While not all Neue Klasse vehicles will be electric, the platform is supposed to prioritize electrification with the ability to field combustion models. But the Vision Driving Experience being teased is electric, with some outlets making claims that it may even be the new 3-Series EV. That’s possible. But spy shots show camouflaged test beds of the forthcoming model with a longer hood and other subtle differences.
Among BMW’s remaining party tricks were color-changing wheels (something the aftermarket has been doing for decades). However, the Bavarian brand had its wheels set up to indicate what the vehicle was doing at that moment. Green wheels indicated the car was under acceleration, whereas red meant the brakes were being applied.
Perhaps more relevant was the vehicle’s interior, which is likely to underpin other upcoming EVs. It’s minimalist with some edge and a centrally mounted screen that will likely be responsible for the majority of vehicle controls that don’t pertain directly to the act of driving. While your author originally assumed the cabin design was the result of this being a test mule (it looks unfinished with the components tacked on), the stylized central tablet and top instrumentation (Panoramic iDrive) bar give this away as an intentional design choice.
BMW managed to avoid some of the garish design trends we’ve seen from the likes of Mercedes-Benz in recent years and has held off on copying the tragically unadorned cockpits seen in Tesla products. But those brands are trying to cater heavily to the Chinese market these days and Central Asian tastes are apparently a little different from ours. China values tech over almost everything else in terms of luxury vehicles and doesn’t want it to be hidden or modified to appear more traditional. Minimal instrumentation and a large central screen doing all the heavy lifting is also cheaper for automakers to manufacture and easier to implement into a variety of cars.
With the above in mind, BMW has fittingly decided to officially reveal the tech-heavy Vision Driving Experience at Auto Shanghai 2025.
[Images: BMW]
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