{"id":83768,"date":"2025-09-19T07:39:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=83768"},"modified":"2025-09-19T07:39:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:39:12","slug":"bmw-i1-neue-klasse-hatchback-rendering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=83768","title":{"rendered":"BMW i1 Neue Klasse Rendering Sparks Hope For Stylish Small EV"},"content":{"rendered":"

BMW\u2019s unveiling of the new iX3 has opened the floodgates for renderings of other models adopting Neue Klasse styling. We\u2019ve already seen a stunning yet hypothetical Z4<\/a>, but what about something in the volume segment? With a small electric car officially confirmed<\/a> recently, it\u2019s no surprise that someone has taken a crack at imagining Bavaria\u2019s entry-level EV.<\/p>\n

This speculative five-door hatchback envisions what the luxury brand is likely to call the \u201ci1.\u201d The new iX3\u2019s sleek styling bodes well for an attractive compact car we could see as early as 2028. Although it\u2019s only a digital design exercise not affiliated with BMW, it offers hope for a stylish hatch and an unofficial preview of how different the lineup will look just a few years from now.<\/p>\n

While the 2026 iX3<\/a> features a vertical kidney grille as a nod to a bygone era, only crossovers will use that retro-inspired look. Sedans and probably all other conventional body styles (coupes, wagons, etc.) will adopt wide kidney grilles instead. The 2023 Vision Neue Klasse concept already hinted at what to expect from non-SUV models.<\/p>\n

\n

We weren\u2019t exactly enamored with the concept\u2019s unusually high-mounted taillights. That holds true here as well, though recent spy photos of the i3<\/a> suggest a less obtrusive design. On the iX3, the taillights complement the crossover\u2019s rear proportions nicely. Hopefully, that should hold true across the lineup once the Neue Klasse family is fully fleshed out.<\/p>\n

For those who prefer a proper trunk, an i2 Gran Coupe<\/a> (NB8) or something similar should arrive around 2030. It\u2019s too early to say for certain, but BMW might not renew its cheapest cars with combustion engines. The F70 and F74 are expected to continue until around 2032. At that point, the i1 and i2 will have already been on sale for a few years.<\/p>\n

But the i1 and i2 won\u2019t be part of the 40+ cars BMW is launching<\/a> in its first wave of Neue Klasse products. Still, the company insists it\u2019s not abandoning the entry-level class. Bernd K\u00f6rber, Senior Vice President of BMW Brand and Product Management, was recently quoted as saying, \u201cIt has never been a question that we step out of the smaller-car segment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consequently, an i1 is more a question of when than if. At launch, expect a return to form with a rear-wheel-drive layout. But unlike the tail-happy first two generations of the 1 Series, there obviously won\u2019t be a combustion engine powering the rear axle. BMW is already phasing out FWD electric cars since its latest e-motors are designed exclusively for rear- and all-wheel-drive setups. That could also mean RWD MINIs are coming<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photo: sugardesign_1 \/ Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BMW\u2019s unveiling of the new iX3 has opened the floodgates for renderings of other models adopting Neue Klasse styling. We\u2019ve already seen a stunning yet hypothetical Z4, but what about something in the volume segment? With a small electric car officially confirmed recently, it\u2019s no surprise that someone has taken a crack at imagining Bavaria\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83769,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/83769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}