At the upcoming 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, the BMW Group is presenting three BMW Neue Klasse concept cars, along with two breakthrough technologies making their debut: the Intelligent Super-Sensory Cockpit and the all-new Operating System X, showcasing BMW's latest achievements in electrification and digitalization to consumers. BMW Group Chairman Oliver Zipse said, "The innovation of the BMW Group is the Neue Klasse, creating the intelligent future of mobility in BMW's unique way. BMW has always adhered to 'in China, for China, innovating at China speed,' and we are working together with leading local companies to rapidly bring breakthrough technologies to the road."
The Neue Klasse will present a smarter, more human-centric, and more responsible future of premium mobility, representing a major leap for the BMW brand in design, technology, and philosophy. It features an all-new design and a groundbreaking technology cluster, adopting a new design language, a new electronic and electrical architecture with a highly integrated superbrain, a revolutionary digital experience, and a next-generation electric drive system and battery technology that will define the future of the company, the brand, and its products.
Zipse said, "The Chinese market is playing an increasingly prominent strategic role in BMW's global innovation landscape and has played a key role in the leapfrog development of Neue Klasse technological innovation." The BMW Shanghai design team led the development of Neue Klasse models tailored specifically for the Chinese market, blending local aesthetics with advanced functions. Starting in 2026, the first batch of domestically produced Neue Klasse models will roll off the line in Shenyang — made in China, exclusively for China.
BMW's cooperation with Chinese partners has entered a new phase, jointly committed to innovation in intelligent mobility and promoting the high-quality development of China's automotive industry. Zipse pointed out that artificial intelligence is one of the key areas for future cooperation between the two sides. He stated: "We are deepening strategic cooperation with leading Chinese technology companies, deeply integrating cloud interaction capabilities with the personalized experience of generative AI." Recently, BMW announced deepened strategic cooperation with Alibaba in China to bring AI large language models "on board"; at the same time, it is deepening cooperation with Huawei to deeply integrate the HarmonyOS ecosystem and create a seamlessly connected all-scenario intelligent experience. In the field of power batteries, BMW became CATL's first automotive customer in 2012, and now the two sides are working together to advance the mass production of large cylindrical battery cells for application in Neue Klasse models. "The China-exclusive Neue Klasse models are born in China and born for China. Because in China, innovation is changing with each passing day."
Zipse said, "With a technology-open strategy, we provide customers with the latest innovations across all brands and all powertrain forms — letting customers freely choose the products that best suit them. This strategy has proven successful globally." In Zipse's view, innovation is not the development of a single technology, but the integration of all technologies to fully meet customer needs. He emphasized, "What we pursue is not just cool technology, but technology that customers will use, dare to use, and are able to use." At the same time, while rapidly advancing innovation, BMW always upholds the principle of "safety first," ensuring that every new technology provides reliable and safe mobility protection. BMW's heavily invested Driving Simulation Center and Future Mobility Development Center are dedicated to rigorous testing and validation during the technology development process. Zipse pointed out, "Consumers are paying increasing attention to the 'traditional values' of automobiles, such as safety, product quality, system integration capability, and brand building. These are exactly where BMW's strengths lie."
As Zipse said: "To succeed in the global market, we must not only create products with global appeal, but also cultivate deep roots in every local market." In China, BMW is moving forward with firm steps, leveraging the innovative technologies of Neue Klasse models, a strong China R&D system, deepened local cooperation, and a steadfast commitment to responsibility to accelerate the pace of innovation, writing a new chapter in brand development at China speed, bringing Chinese users smarter, more convenient, and more sustainable mobility solutions, while also setting a new benchmark for the development of the global automotive industry.
