BMW unveils next-generation EVs in bid to challenge Tesla and China's car makers

The Vision Neue Klasse has a digital display projected onto the entire width of the windscreen and software that can process voice commands and hand gestures

Oliver Zipse chief executive of BMW, presenting the Neue Klasse project, the German carmaker's new electric vehicle concept. AFP

BMW presented the first prototype of its future electric vehicle line-up, ringing in a new stage in the fight to catch up to Tesla and defend sales in its most important market China.

The Vision Neue Klasse concept car, on display at next week’s IAA show in Munich, shows off BMW’s dedicated EV underpinnings due in 2025 – around the time Mercedes-Benz Group is introducing its new battery-powered models.

Software issues have delayed similar architectures from Volkswagen, pushing back key Porsche and Audi vehicles.

With the sleek coupe, BMW is veering away from a decades-old tradition of advertising mainly the performance of its "ultimate driving machines".

Instead, it’s touting a digital display projected onto the entire width of the windscreen as well as software that can process voice commands and hand gestures.

The move is a nod to customers in China, who are increasingly going for homegrown brands such as BYD and Nio that have been better at building EVs with gadgets geared to local tastes.

The Neue Klasse “sets our course for the next decades", chief executive Oliver Zipse said.

BMW, Mercedes and Audi long dominated sales of premium combustion-engine cars in China, but have been caught on the back foot by the country’s rapid shift to EVs.

BYD this year dethroned Volkswagen as China’s top-selling car maker, and Mercedes slashed prices for its flagship electric sedan there late last year after disappointing sales.

EVs and plug-in hybrids are expected to make up 90 per cent of the world’s biggest car market around the end of this decade, adding urgency for western premium brands to accelerate their offerings. A price war in China started by Tesla has also upped the pressure.

BMW is growing in China, especially on electric cars, and the car maker isn’t affected by the price war because of its positioning in the premium segment, Mr Zipse told reporters on Saturday in Munich.

The Neue Klasse, he added, will be even more profitable than the company’s current lineup of battery-powered cars.

BMW’s top-end Neue Klasse models will have a range of as much as 800km and charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in under half an hour, numbers that likely won’t make them best in class. Last year, an electric prototype from Mercedes drove more than 1,000km on a single charge.

The interior of BMW's Neue Klasse prototype. AFP

But BMW still ranks second in China when it comes to tech features in its cars, according to a recent consumer survey by consultancy AlixPartners. BMW came in behind Geely’s Zeekr but ahead of Xpeng, Tesla and VW.

Despite the new focus on digital features, BMW won’t entirely throw its brand traditions overboard. While most EVs these days offer swift acceleration, the Neue Klasse will be more fun to drive at higher speeds than many competitors, according to Mr Zipse.

“We still believe that we can make a difference in the dynamics of the drivetrain,” he said.