BMW's next-gen ICE cars will get the Neue Klasse concept design

Are you liking the calm, crisp body design and new digital interface of BMW's Neue Klasse concepts? But you still want a 3 Series with an engine? BMW Group design director Adrian van Hooydonk has reassurance for you. The design language and cabin tech will be quickly rolled out across the company's new generation of combustion vehicles too.

Recap: the Neue Klasse is the company's bold generation of ground-up electric cars, starting with a replacement for the iX3 next year, and then an electric 3 Series-size saloon in 2026. At the Paris show this week it once again wheeled out their two previewing concepts, the snappily named Vision Neue Klasse X and Vision Neue Klasse.

Although the saloon concept is now two years old, little has changed for the production version, he says. "You know how close the i3 and i8 were to their concept cars, that's what's going to happen here. If anything I like the production cars better because they're a bit more compact – we've exaggerated the length and width here – and you have a bit more detailing and feel a little bit more refined. But the overall clean look is exactly this."

He says each individual production vehicle will have a different character from the others. In the concepts, the crossover has a much deeper pair of kidneys than the wide 'grille' of the saloon.

BMW has long said it won't just cut off combustion cars at an arbitrary date. And van Hooydonk says a lot of the Neue Klasse EV design and cabin experience will be transferred from electric to combustion cars and crossovers. "The big push with EVs, these technologies and this design language, will transfer over the entire product portfolio including our combustion vehicles. For the customer it won't be difficult – they will all get new modern BMWs and they can choose the drivetrain."

But don't ground-up EVs have different proportions from cars with an engine? "There is some proportional difference on the exterior and a little on the interior but the look and feel and user interface is going to be identical. It's a big change how you operate the vehicles."

That interface consists of a head-up display running right across the base of the windscreen, which they're calling Panoramic Vision. That's operated from a steering wheel spoke. The central touchscreen is shaped to make it easier for the driver to reach, too.

Five more Neue Klasse electric vehicles will follow within two more years. BMW says they'll have 'super-brains' 10 times faster than today's, both for dynamics and automated driving – whenever that comes. They're also claimed to be a step up in efficiency, and use a lot of recycled materials to help cut overall footprint. New thinking runs all the way from the battery cells (which are faster-charging, more energy dense and significantly less intensive to make) and 800V electrics right through to the plant itself.

All the vehicles up to 2029 launches – in both the Neue Klasse and combustion ranges – have been pretty much completed by teams under BMW brand design chief Domagoj Dukec. It's fair to say the concepts have been much better received than some of his recent aggressive-looking production cars. He's now being moved to Rolls-Royce.

So two new heads of BMW design have just been put in place – ex-Mini guy Oliver Heilmer for the smaller BMWs and ex-Polestar design chief Maximilian Missoni leading the big BMWs. "Now is as good a time as any to make this change at BMW design. And we've just launched an entire Mini lineup and it seemed a good time to make the change there too," says van Hooydonk.

How will it be for them to be revealing cars designed by their predecessor? "Well I'm still here. I remember what we were thinking when we designed these cars so I will make sure there is continuity. And the people we have in the new positions – apart for Max Missoni – they know how we do design. Max is the new one of course and we are onboarding him now. He needs to familiarise himself but that happens fast. On his second day he went to Oktoberfest with his team and that helped his language skills tremendously…"