BMW Vision Neue Klasse, next-gen Mini due out at Munich auto show

Munich replaced Frankfurt on the global auto show circuit in 2021, and the shift works in the BMW Group’s favor ⁠— one of Europe’s biggest automotive events now takes place in its backyard. The company has detailed the new BMW and Mini models it will bring to the 2023 show.

One of the most important unveilings for BMW — and likely one of the most noteworthy cars we’ll see displayed at the Munich show — is the Vision Neue Klasse. More than merely a concept car, the design study will serve as an accurate preview of how BMW’s entire range will evolve in the coming years. We haven’t seen it yet, but we’re told it’s packed with electrification- and digitalization-related innovations.

While the brand notes that the Vision Neue Klasse will be on the road “before long,” it’s reasonable to assume that the plug-in hybrid variants of the eighth-generation 5 Series that will also debut in Munich are closer to reaching production. Two models called 530e xDrive and 550e xDrive are due out in spring 2024, though it’s too early to tell whether we’ll see them on our shores. The former uses a hybrid system built around a four-cylinder engine, while the latter benefits from a straight-six. In both systems, the electric motor is integrated into an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 530e and the 550e put 299 and 489 horsepower, respectively, under the driver’s right foot.

BMW notes that integrating the 19.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack into the 5’s underbody lowers the center of gravity while keeping trunk space intact. The 530e can drive for up to 63 miles on electric power, a figure that drops to 56 miles for buyers who select the 550e, though both numbers were achieved on the optimistic WLTP testing cycle used in Europe. Both cars come with a 7.4-kilowatt charger.

Mini will unveil two new models at the Munich show: the next-generation Cooper (which replaces the Hardtop, or the Hatch if you’re reading this from the United Kingdom) and the next-generation Countryman. Both models will be available with gasoline or electric power. We’ve seen the Hardtop’s new-look interior in official images, it notably loses the outgoing model’s instrument cluster and gains a round OLED screen in the middle of the dashboard, and we’ve seen the little hatchback undisguised in spy shots. Spy shots have also revealed the next-generation Countryman, which wears a boxier-looking exterior design and seemingly grows in size, before the official unveiling in Munich.

Finally, BMW will bring two models that we’ve already seen, driven, or both to the Munich show. The first is the 7 Series Protection, which is an armored version of the flagship sedan capable of stopping armor-piercing bullets. Unveiled in August 2023, it’s built in-house by BMW and it was designed to look just like the standard, non-armored model. The second is the iX5 Hydrogen prototype, which Autoblog drove in February 2023. It’s an experimental, hydrogen-powered variant of the current-generation X5 developed to participate in a pilot program.

The 2023 edition of the Munich auto show opens its doors to the public on September 5.