Gasgoo Munich- BMW Group is accelerating its electric rollout.
The Neue Klasse BMW i3 recently kicked off mass production at the Munich plant in Germany, marking the second model built on the company's Neue Klasse platform. Meanwhile, a China-made long-wheelbase version tailored specifically for the market is set to debut at the Chengdu Auto Show on August 21, rolling off the line at the Shenyang plant.
Image source: BMW
The China-made long-wheelbase i3 is slated to offer four trims, ranging from family-oriented models to performance-focused variants. The lineup includes the i3-30L, i3-40L, i3-50L, and the flagship i3 M60L xDrive. The M60L, positioned as the performance pinnacle of the brand's electric mid-size sedans, features a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with a combined output of up to 630 horsepower.
On the technical front, the Neue Klasse i3 rides on BMW's dedicated EV architecture, featuring an 800V high-voltage platform and the sixth-generation eDrive system. It uses cylindrical battery cells capable of high-power fast charging. Visually, the car adopts a fresh family design language, ditching the traditional vertical kidney grille for a unified horizontal front fascia.
Internationally, pre-orders for the standard Neue Klasse i3 opened in mid-June. With mass production kicking off at the Munich plant on August 6, European customer deliveries are set to begin by the end of September, drawing strong market interest. The Munich facility, following a four-year overhaul, will transition to producing exclusively electric vehicles starting in 2027.
