BMW looks set to return to its rear-wheel drive roots with the new Neue Klasse platform, which will abandon the front-drive layout of its entry-level model variants as the German carmaker rolls out its next generation of electric vehicles (EVs).
The first model based on the Neue Klasse platform is expected to debut later this year, ushering in a new era of electrification for the Bavarian brand. Vehicles based on the Neue Klasse platform will feature improved electric motor units capable of delivering up to 30 per cent more range than current electric BMWs.
It’s a shift that marks a huge step forward for BMW, although the manufacturer is also taking inspiration from its history as a proponent of rear-wheel drive.
Although Neue Klasse can accomodate anywhere between one and four electric drive motors, AutoExpress reports that the sixth-generation eDrive electric motors can’t power the front wheels alone.
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BMW 118
This is because the rear motor design incorporates a gearbox, while the front motor does not. Instead, Neue Klasse will support either rear- or all-wheel drive, both layouts that BMW is well versed in.
Only a handful of current BMW models send drive exclusively to the front wheels – select variants of the 1 Series, 2 Series, X1, iX1 and iX2.
However, it’s a different story for the BMW-owned Mini brand. The Cooper, Countryman, and Aceman nameplates all lean heavily on the FWD layout.
All the above BMW and Mini models will shift layout with the introduction of Neue Klasse. It’s a particularly significant change for Mini, a brand synonymous with FWD.
BMW has always championed RWD as a key element of its recipe for the ‘ultimate driving machine’. It took until 2014 for the marque to introduce its first FWD model – the F45 generation 2 Series – although it has been responsible for FWD Minis since inheriting the brand more than 20 years ago.
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Mini Cooper E
While FWD is set to be phased out from both lineups, don’t expect the cull to happen overnight, as combustion models will remain on sale alongside the new Neue Klasse range to begin with.
BMW’s first electric vehicle (EV) built on the Neue Klasse platform will be the new iX3 mid-sized SUV, set to debut late this year.
Six Neue Klasse-based sedans and SUVs will launch by 2028, with the new iX3 starting proceedings before the i3 – an electric sibling to the 3 Series – arrives in 2026.
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