Inside BMW’s new retro-cool 3 series coming in 2025 – with an interior as comfortable as your living room
HERE’S the new retro-cool BMW 3 Series coming in 2025.
Clearly inspired by the boxy E30-vintage Beemer from the Eighties, I’m all for it.
Same goes for the yellow corduroy interior.
This “Neue Klasse” concept car is electric, of course.
And digital. And recyclable. And therefore expensive.
But it’s a looking glass into which we can see the future 3 Series – and at least five other models, whether they’re saloons or SUVs, or juice up on petrol or electrons.
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I was excited to catch up with design chief Adrian van Hooydonk at the Munich Motor Show because what’s going on in his head right now directly affects what we’ll be driving in the next five to ten years.
Van Hooydonk said: “We are taking BMW forward.
"We are taking big steps in battery technology, electric motors, sustainable materials, a new way of producing vehicles, more connectivity, more intelligence, together with a design that’s new, very clean and modern at first sight.
“But then when you take a second look, we don’t mind if you see connotations from our heritage because that is exactly what will set us apart from so many start-ups.”
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One hundred per cent.
Van Hooydonk promised drivers sticking with petrol cars for as long as they possibly could wouldn’t miss out on the futuristic style and cutting-edge tech.
The new head-up display stretches all the way across the bottom of the windscreen, for instance.
He said: “If you are asking me what will the petrol cars look like, they will look fairly similar.
“Electric mobility will ramp up very quickly.
“When you have a car that approaches 600 miles with a charging time of ten-15 minutes, then for many people there are no more reasons not to want an EV.
“The only thing is the infrastructure and that is the one thing beyond our control.
“What we won’t do is put our customers in a difficult position where they want to be modern and have the latest technology but they can’t because they simply don’t have the infrastructure.”
Now tell us we’re going to see some brighter interiors in the future – rather than acres of the usual dull black.
He doesn’t disappoint.
Van Hooydonk said: “Every concept is an opportunity to test out some new things.
“The corduroy is something that we love very much.
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“It’s also a little bit of a hint to the past – there was corduroy in BMW cars in the Seventies.
“We want the interiors to become warmer, more like a living room environment.
“Actually, the fabric we used comes from the furniture industry.
“We are going to see more cloth and more interesting fabrics with 3D knitting in the future.”
Last question.
BMW is all about the joy of driving. Six-cylinder engines. Scalpel-sharp handling.
How are you going to keep that special sauce when everyone is making electric cars?
He said: “I love driving.
“Everyone that works at this company loves driving.
“The reason why people buy our products is an emotional one.
“You feel connected to this complex machine.
“You feel like you are the best driver on the planet when you drive a BMW.
“We are going to preserve that.
“I have driven all of the electric cars on the market and compared them to our products.
“You do feel the difference.
“You do feel that our car is more nimble and more connected to your inputs.
“What we make these cars capable of is not for everyone.
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“But for those who want to have that experience they will find it, and they’ll also find it in the future.”
We’ll hold you to that.
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