BMW i3 Neue Klasse Leaks Ahead Of Official Reveal

BMW has not officially shown its upcoming electric 3-Series yet, but the internet may have beaten them to it. A couple of images circulating online appear to show the new BMW i3 (Neue Klasse) from two angles, oddly enough, displayed on what looks like a vehicle infotainment screen. 

There is no confirmation that the images are real, but they look believable. The shape lines up closely with the BMW Vision Neue Klasse that BMW has been hinting at for the past couple of years. The proportions feel familiar as well. Long hood, clean surfaces, and a lighting signature that looks almost identical to the concept.

The wheels also caught attention. They appear to match the multi-spoke design BMW teased earlier in a sustainability preview for the new i3. If the leak is legitimate, it suggests the production car may stay surprisingly close to the concept rather than watering things down.

BMW plans to reveal the car officially on March 18. It will be the second model built on the company’s Neue Klasse architecture, following the BMW iX3 (Neue Klasse) that appeared last September.

While the company is keeping full specs under wraps for now, it has been talking quite a bit about how the car is built. BMW says roughly 30 percent of the vehicle uses recycled materials. That includes aluminum reused in suspension components, wheels, and even the housing for the rear motor. About 70 percent of the wheel material comes from recycled aluminum, and around 80 percent of the suspension knuckles are made from secondary sources.

There are smaller details too. The front bumper trim uses around 30 percent recycled plastic and was designed to make recycling easier when the car eventually reaches the end of its life. Inside, the base Essential trim will use seat fabrics made from recycled PET plastic. Some plastic components under the hood even come partly from recovered fishing nets and marine waste.

BMW says a version called the i3 50 xDrive will likely produce around 463 horsepower, similar to the BMW iX3 50 xDrive. According to the company’s calculations, the emissions saved during use would offset the car’s production footprint compared with a combustion vehicle within one or two years.

We will know soon enough how accurate those leaked images are. BMW pulls the covers off the new i3 in just a couple of days, and that reveal should finally show how much of the Vision Neue Klasse concept made it into the real car.