Autocar October 6, 2021

THAT OUR WEBSITE, among many others, saw big traffic spikes in stories about electric cars and car ownership during the fuel crisis shows a mindset shift may have occurred among the wider public about how to steer clear of such regrettable scenes should they happen again. Perhaps people are also mindful that the unrelated wider energy crisis has already pushed up diesel prices to a record high, with petrol prices not far behind. Although the doubling of domestic electricity supply costs in one year makes charging an EV more expensive as well. Whatever the reasons behind it and whatever happens next, the fuel crisis showed most of all just how important personal mobility and car ownership are to people. Whatever powers it, the car itself and the freedom it gives us is…

THAT OUR WEBSITE, among many others, saw big traffic spikes in stories about electric cars and car ownership during the fuel crisis shows a mindset shift may have occurred among the wider public about how to steer clear of such regrettable scenes should they happen again. Perhaps people are also mindful that the unrelated wider energy crisis has already pushed up diesel prices to a record high, with petrol prices not far behind. Although the doubling of domestic electricity supply costs in one year makes charging an EV more expensive as well. Whatever the reasons behind it and whatever happens next, the fuel crisis showed most of all just how important personal mobility and car ownership are to people. Whatever powers it, the car itself and the freedom it gives…

BMW will kick-start the third phase of its electrification strategy in 2025 with an all-new executive saloon that will serve as the vanguard for a reinvented line-up based on a new EV architecture. It will feature Munich’s sixthgeneration electric powertrain, long-range battery technology, rapid-charging capability, lightweight construction, a fully customisable digital operating system and a new mix of sustainable construction materials. Set to be sold alongside other new battery-electric and combustion-engined saloons, the new model, known under the internal working title NK1, will be the first car based on the Neue Klasse EV platform, paving the way for a whole new generation of EVs, including an extended line-up of SUVs. The NK1 is likely to be initially positioned as an electric alternative to the next-generation 3 Series, in a relationship…

BMW will kick-start the third phase of its electrification strategy in 2025 with an all-new executive saloon that will serve as the vanguard for a reinvented line-up based on a new EV architecture. It will feature Munich’s sixthgeneration electric powertrain, long-range battery technology, rapid-charging capability, lightweight construction, a fully customisable digital operating system and a new mix of sustainable construction materials. Set to be sold alongside other new battery-electric and combustion-engined saloons, the new model, known under the internal working title NK1, will be the first car based on the Neue Klasse EV platform, paving the way for a whole new generation of EVs, including an extended line-up of SUVs. The NK1 is likely to be initially positioned as an electric alternative to the next-generation 3 Series, in a relationship mirroring that between…

BMW’s decision to revive the Neue Klasse name for its next generation of cars might suggest a desire to go retro, but it actually serves notice of its radical intent. The original Neue Klasse models, produced from 1962 until 1977, set many of the design trends that BMW still follows today: Hofmeister kinks, the classic three-box shape and so on. But the real success of the Neue Klasse era was how it repositioned BMW through a new design and engineering direction. BMW models became less stodgy and more dynamic, repositioning and reviving the brand and setting the course for everything that has come ever since. In the 1960s, that brand shift was sparked by BMW’s financial difficulties, but that’s not an issue in 2021. Instead, BMW is reacting to the…

BMW’s decision to revive the Neue Klasse name for its next generation of cars might suggest a desire to go retro, but it actually serves notice of its radical intent. The original Neue Klasse models, produced from 1962 until 1977, set many of the design trends that BMW still follows today: Hofmeister kinks, the classic three-box shape and so on. But the real success of the Neue Klasse era was how it repositioned BMW through a new design and engineering direction. BMW models became less stodgy and more dynamic, repositioning and reviving the brand and setting the course for everything that has come ever since. In the 1960s, that brand shift was sparked by BMW’s financial difficulties, but that’s not an issue in 2021. Instead, BMW is reacting to the dramatic shifts…