The right-hand drive BMW iX3 has made its global debut as more variants are confirmed and BMW talks up just how affordable the first Neue Klasse model is going to be.
The iX3 medium SUV launched in Munich earlier this month with the sole focus on the dual motor all-wheel drive 50 xDrive, a production start-up later this year in Hungary and an Australian launch scheduled for mid 2026.
The right-hand drive iX3 didn’t appear in Germany, but at a BMW-sponsored golf tournament in the UK, with an official video proving the steering wheel had shifted to our side of the cabin.
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Separately, in the USA, two further iX3 variants were announced, with deliveries not commencing until 2027. They are the dual motor 40 xDrive and rear-motor rear-wheel drive 40 sDrive.
In China a long wheelbase iX3 has also been teased.
The 40 models announced in the US will come with a smaller battery pack than the 50 xDrive’s 108kWh.
They have been promised with a 300 mile-plus (480km) range versus 400 miles-plus (644km) for the 50 xDrive. Under WLTP, BMW is claiming an 805km range for that model.
BMW has committed to six Neue Klasse variants launching globally and they are understood to be variants of the iX3 and as well as the i3 sedan that was briefly previewed in Munich.
The i3 variants are expected to include a Touring (wagon) and a fire-breathing quad motor electric M3.
Over the same period Neue Klasse tech to a greater or lesser degree will spread across 40 BMW new and updated models.
At the German launch BMW announced a price of 68,900 Euros ($121,500) for the 50 xDrive and confirmed an “entry level” model will be priced around 60,000 Euros ($106,000).
Meanwhile in the USA the price of that model is being forecast at around $US60,000 ($90,200), while the 40 xDrive and the sDrive will sit below $US55,000 ($82,700).
In the UK, the base price for the 50 xDrive on display at Wentworth golf club was listed at 58,755 pounds ($119,800).
Australian price won’t be revealed until 2026.
US pricing in particular is better than what many pundits were expecting. In Australia the first generation rear-wheel drive only iX3 was (it’s no longer on-sale) last priced from an LCT-beating $91,000 to $104,900 plus on-road costs.
In a media roundtable at the global iX3 reveal, the head of the Neue Klasse program Mike Reichelt told Australian journalists this sharp pricing was due to a strong focus on cost reduction.
That’s despite the vehicle costing a record $17 billion to develop -so far!
“We reduced the price of the battery pack also for the customer,” he said. “[At 68,900 Euros] when you compare it the ICE we are are in the ballpark of the ICE.
“When you compare to the current X3 ICE customers or plug-in customers we are completely in the bandwidth of the price of ICE cars.
“One of the main topics was reduced complexity, make it as a simple as possible. For example, the sonar architecture we reduced the wiring harness 600 meters.
Also, the body in white, it is a normal steel body it is not exotic material, but in a simple way we have never done before.
“Simplicity is one of the main targets, when it is simple it is normally cost efficient.”
