Our spy photographer snapped a stunning surprise prototype from BMW, showing us a new EV Coupe with what appears to hub motors and a striking, modern, wedge design. A tradesman working at an obscure landing strip first spotted the disguised coupe, and word leaked to our shooter, who snagged these revealing shots of BMW’s exciting future.
Heres details & report from a German correspondent:
BMW Neue Klasse Coupé
The Neue Klasse from BMW will completely reposition and revolutionise the brand. The new architecture will gradually permeate all model generations at BMW, but will also offer completely new possibilities as we can see in these latest spy shots. So far we know two models of the BMW Neue Klasse as studies, namely the SUV and the Sedan. The Neue Klasse SUV from BMW has already been spotted several times as a prototype and is the first model in development on public roads. The Neue Klasse Sedan has not yet been spotted as a prototype and has only been shown as a Vision Neue Klasse in the form of a study.
Prototypes first roll-out
Completely unexpected and brand new, another Neue Klasse model is now coming into the spotlight in front of our camera, namely a prototype in the form of a Neue Klasse Coupé with a very futuristic design. The prototype had its rollout this week and was caught on camera. At first glance, the BMW Neue Klasse Coupé looks like a futuristic Buggy/Crossover with very long doors and a possible large glass dome above the passenger compartment. But if you take a closer look, you can clearly recognize the face of the Neue Klasse at the front. Even if the headlights and the illuminated kidney grille are still camouflaged, the BMW front is unmistakable. The BMW Neue Klasse Coupé shows design features and proportions of the Vision Neue Klasse study. It appears to be a sporty coupé with flat lines and short overhangs. The missing door handles on this prototype are also interesting, as they are replaced by a door opener in the form of a black surface with touch function at the height of the window line on the B-pillar. BMW is taking a big step towards the future with this model. Whether this is a small-series model like the BMW i8 is highly conceivable.
New drive technology with wheel hub motors
The drive technology of this prototype is completely new, as this is the first BMW model with four wheel hub motors. Due to the lack of brake calipers, the silver wheel hub motors are clearly visible behind the black wheel rim. Just last year, BMW invested in this technology with a Munich-based start-up called DeepDrive and began a partnership. DeepDrive intends to be able to offer its wheel hub motor technology in large-scale production from 2026 at the earliest. This drive technology should allow for a higher torque and power density, resulting in efficiency gains of between 20 and 40%.
It remains to be seen whether wheel hub motors of this size will be able to deliver enough power for a future all-electric BMW M model with an output of around 1,360 hp, but this is probably not possible. BMW has been testing a purely electric BMW i4 M as a prototype for several years, in which four electric motors have been mentioned from the outset. Until now, there has never been any talk of wheel hub motors, as the prototypes had clearly visible brake discs with brake calipers and no wheel hub motors. Nevertheless, BMW has communicated a lot in recent years about the future technology and the possible introduction of a model with four electric motors, but there has never been any talk about the design. Quite the opposite, as a production version of the BMW i4 as a pure M model was always denied.
Thanks to the wheel hub motors, BMW has gained a lot of space on this platform and this creates room for completely new possibilities. For example, in the axle suspension, but also in the distribution of the batteries. It can be assumed that an 800-volt system with the new round cell battery technology will be used here. As you can see in the pictures, the driver and front passenger sit very low in the vehicle. It is also not known what is behind the driver and front passenger seats. There could be two more small seats here or the battery technology is located in the rear of this vehicle so that the driver and front passenger can sit lower in the vehicle.
Design features of BMW studies
If you compare the design of this prototype with that of the Vision Neue Klasse study, you will recognize many similarities. Not only the light element in the front is similar, but also the high rear end with the inward profile below the rear lights and the bumper, which is then clearly protruding again and in which the diffuser is integrated. As in the Vision Neue Klasse study, the rear lights are divided in the centre. The roof of this Coupé could also be made of glass, similar to the concept car.
However, the question still remains as to which model this is. It will not be a concept car on wheels or another study, as such models are usually not camouflaged. In addition, this prototype has far too conventional side mirrors for a study and is even equipped with a windscreen wiper.
The prototype was provisionally charged with the bonnet open via a small plug, which could have been an AC plug, because there was no charging point at the roll-out location. A charging flap on the body cannot be recognized.
