“BMW reinvents itself” – this is how the Vision Neue Klasse was described when it was unveiled. It’s been just over two years since the concept broke cover at the IAA Mobility. We saw the car in Munich, at the company’s home site, setting the design direction for the eighth-generation 3 Series. We’ll 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 auto paparazzi have now been used for a speculative display. It’s still a completely unofficial design, but it’s probably not far from the original. Finally, these test vehicles have already been spotted with their complete production bodies and final headlights, making it easier for independent artists to digitally imagine the future 3 Series.
The wide radiator grille, which takes up the theme of the double headlights, was already visible on the 2023 concept vehicle. It’s a design that BMW has reserved for cars, while SUVs like the 2026 iX3 will feature vertical kidney grilles instead. But the New Class isn’t just about a new front apron; It represents a completely new design language that makes the body tidier with fewer lines and wrinkles.
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 represents a version that will likely never exist. The four exhaust tips reserved for the M Performance and M3 versions are paired with a charging port. As far as we know, the hotter 3 Series derivatives won’t be plug-in hybrids.
BMW may have a plug-in hybrid M performance sedan in the form of the M760e, but the M340i’s successor will take a different route. The rumored M350 is expected to feature a mild hybrid setup, similar to the next M3 (G84). Regardless of the powertrain, the new 3 Series is shaping up to be an eye-catcher, especially with an M Sport package like the one we’ve imagined here.
Interesting fact: The design of the car is essentially revealed even before the G50 debuts. BMW has announced that the i3 sedan will arrive first. Although they ride on different platforms (CLAR and Neue Klasse), the two models will have a closely coordinated design language.
Spy photos suggest a nearly identical design, save for a slightly different beltline and a shorter front end for the i3. At the beginning of the year, Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of Design at BMW Group, told us that future petrol and electric cars will be almost indistinguishable:
“I think it will be difficult for you [from a distance] to tell which is the electric and which is the internal combustion engine. It’s going to be so close.”
Rendering: Kelsonik / Instagram
