“BMW reinvents itself” – that’s how the Vision Neue Klasse was described at its reveal. It’s been a little over two years since the concept broke cover at IAA Mobility. We saw the car in Munich, on the company’s home turf, signaling the design direction for the eighth-generation 3 Series. We’ll still have to wait until next year to see the “G50.” However, spy photos of camouflaged prototypes have made the wait a little easier.
The latest images captured by car paparazzi have now been used to create a speculative rendering. It’s still a completely unofficial design, but it likely isn’t far from the real thing. After all, those test vehicles have already been spotted with their full production bodies and final headlights, making it easier for independent artists to digitally envision the future 3 Series.
The wide grille blending into a fresh take on the double-headlight theme was already evident on the 2023 concept. It’s a design BMW has reserved for cars, while SUVs like the 2026 iX3 will instead feature vertical kidneys. But Neue Klasse isn’t just about a new front fascia; it represents an entirely new design language, one that declutters the body with fewer lines and creases.
If this rendering is any indication, these smoother surfaces should bode well for the next 3 Series. However, it’s worth noting that the rendering depicts a version that will likely never exist. The quad exhaust tips, reserved for the M Performance and M3 versions, are paired with a charging port. To our knowledge, the hotter 3 Series derivatives won’t be plug-in hybrids.
BMW does have a plug-in hybrid M Performance sedan in the form of the M760e, but the M340i’s replacement will take a different path. The rumored M350 is expected to feature a mild-hybrid setup, much like the next M3 (G84). Regardless of powertrain, the new 3 Series is shaping up to be a looker, especially with an M Sport Package like the one imagined here.
Fun fact: the car’s design will essentially be revealed even before the G50 debuts. BMW has announced that the i3 sedan will arrive first. Despite riding on different platforms (CLAR and Neue Klasse), the two models will share a closely aligned design language.
Spy photos have hinted at nearly identical styling, save for a slightly different beltline and a shorter front section for the i3. Earlier this year, BMW Group Head of Design Adrian van Hooydonk told us that future gas and electric cars will look nearly indistinguishable:
“I think you will be hard-pressed [from a distance] to tell which one is the electric one and which one is the combustion engine. It’s going to be that close.”
Rendering: kelsonik / Instagram