A special event took place at BMW Welt at the weekend where the keys to the new iX3 were handed over to the first customers. It was another opportunity for company officials to highlight the electric crossover’s strong initial momentum. BMW customer, brand and sales director Jochen Goller did not give any specific figures, but said: “Customer interest is already overwhelming.”
He also confirmed that BMW will introduce a second shift at the Debrecen factory in Hungary “much earlier than planned”. Goller cited an interesting statistic about the new iX3. Since the “NA5” debuted in Munich, it has become by far BMW’s most popular electric vehicle in Europe. In fact, it accounts for around 33 percent of all electric models ordered in Europe since September 2025.
What’s remarkable is that all of these customers placed their orders without even knowing how the iX3 drives. BMW will roll out demo vehicles to dealers across Europe from March 7th. Only then can customers experience the New Class EV up close. Well, unless you’ve already seen it at a car show. Test drives will also begin, and considering how much BMW has hyped the Heart of Joy, this experience could convince even more buyers to take the plunge.
While the total number of orders is still unknown, they are all for the iX3 50 xDrive. An entry-level version, expected to be called the iX3 40, will be available in Europe towards the end of the year. There will be rear-wheel drive, a single motor and a lower price. It is possible that the 108.7 kWh battery will be swapped out for a smaller battery, although BMW has not yet officially announced this.
This year, BMW will expand the range with two more variants: 40 xDrive and M60 xDrive. The latter will serve as an M Performance model with more than 600 hp and an M-specific adaptive suspension. It also gets upgraded brakes, unique 21-inch wheels, upgraded seats and a higher quality sound system.
Meanwhile, BMW has already announced several updates for later this year, including a white steering wheel, roof rails and custom paint options. Heated rear seats will be available to order from March, but initially only in Japan and South Korea. Ventilated front seats are also planned, but won’t be available until later in the iX3’s lifecycle. An adaptive M suspension for non-M models is planned for 2027, then the X3 M “ZA5” will take over as the flagship.
