BMW’s Vision Neue Klasse X Has a Minimalist Interior That’ll Make Tesla Owners Jealous

BMW’s Neue Klasse concept EVs (“New Class,” in English) are earning their moniker.

After unveiling a next-gen sedan earlier this year, BMW took the wraps off of its Vision Neue Klasse X concept EV, an electric SUV — sorry, sport activity vehicle (SAV) according to BMW — that embodies the automaker's evolving design ethos.

Minimalism But More Interesting

The first thing you’ll notice about the Vision Neue Klasse X is that it’s quite curvy on the outside, which I assume will help BMW hit its targeted goal of increasing the range of its EVs by 30 percent.

Additionally, the kidney grille (love it or hate it) is getting a bit of a tweak. While current EVs like the i4 wear their controversial grilles proud, the Neue Klasse concept EVs seem to be apologizing for them — they’re smaller, sleeker, and in my opinion, less in-your-face. They do, however, come with some lighting around the edges, though, which does draw some attention.

While the unveiling is mostly fixated on the new look of BMW’s next-gen EVs, the automaker does make some overtures towards their technological abilities, suggesting its new onboard computers could even usher in a “quantum leap in automated driving.” I’m personally skeptical of that lofty claim, but hey, you never know.

For me, it’s the interior of the Vision Neue Klasse X that really captures the attention. While it definitely veers towards a Tesla-like minimalism, it does so with a bit more character. There’s a central tablet for infotainment and controls (I don’t see a lot of physical buttons going on here) and an understated dash just like you’d find in a Tesla, but upholstery has an almost 1970s space age look to it.

The view from the backseat of the Vision Neue Klasse X hammers home BMW’s design ethos for this next generation: electric, digital, circular. Notice how rounded everything looks from this vantage.

And like the previous Neue Klasse EV, the Vision Neue Klasse X also has a sweeping glass roof that makes the whole car feel almost open-air. If BMW’s self-driving advancements turn out to be as profound as they’ve promised, it’ll probably be nice to lean back and gaze through the roof while your car drives itself to work.

The Vision Future

It’s hard to say how much of the Vision Neue Klasse X concept will find its way into an eventual production vehicle, but the assumption is that it’s likely the template for BMW’s upcoming electric iX3 SUV — er, SAV.

For fans of BMW’s current design language, it looks like the Neue Klasse will be a bit of an adjustment, but I’m mostly here for it. I’ve never been a huge fan of Tesla’s minimalism, but the Vision Neue Klasse X does a fairly good job of toeing the line between restraint and, well, vision.

Now, if we could just move past the kidney grille...