BMW’s German market responsible Christian Ach says in an interview with the German magazine Automobilwoche that the German domestic orders for the first car of the Neue Klasse, the iX3, already surpass those of the current combustion X3.
“In the first six weeks after its unveiling at the IAA in Munich, we received over 3,000 orders for the new iX3,” Ach was quoted. The German market director expects production capacity in 2026 to fall short of meeting demand.
High stakes
BMW has poured all of its electric vehicle know-how into the upcoming iX3, making it its most advanced EV by far. It features new motors, electronics, and batteries, which all add up to make it exceptionally efficient for a vehicle of its size. It also looks bold and fresh, and, apparently, it’s striking a chord with buyers in its native Germany.
According to the interview of Christian Ach in Automobilwoche, the iX3 has garnered over 3,000 orders on its home market in the six weeks since its debut, making it more popular than the combustion-powered X3 in the same period.
In its most optimistic internal forecasts, BMW was already a little bit worried that it wasn’t going to be able to meet the volume of orders it initially anticipated for the iX3. Now that it’s proving so popular, its task of starting and then ramping up production to meet demand is even more difficult.
Given that orders are already strong, the bottleneck could be in ramping up production, supply chain (batteries, chips), and maybe prioritizing markets. For Germany, strong local demand means the home market may face longer lead times or be prioritized, potentially delaying exports.
For BMW, this could mean trade‐offs: either invest further in capacity sooner, risk longer customer wait times (which could affect satisfaction and brand perception), or manage order intake and allocations.
The iX3 will first roll off the production line in the newly-built factory in Debrecen, Hungary, which was created specifically to build Neue Klasse vehicles. It has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units.
The first iX3 deliveries are expected in Europe in the spring of 2026, with the United States following later in the summer. BMW’s central plant in Munich is also preparing to produce the Neue Klasse; maybe the manufacturer will try to speed up production start there.
BMW is also gearing up to build the iX3 in Mexico, but it’s still unclear if that factory will supply the US or if the cars will come from Hungary instead. It could be a case of some versions coming from one factory and others from the other. Trump’s tariff policies will undoubtedly play a role here.
Promising
BMW has so far only revealed the dual-motor iX3 50 xDrive, the top model in the range. Probably the most remarkable thing about it is the range from its huge 108 kWh battery pack, which in the dual-motor version is rated at 805 km WLTP, making it Europe’s longest-range EV SUV. Fast-charging can be achieved at up to 400 kW per hour, thanks to the 800 V system.
The top model is powered by two electric motors, which together generate an output of 345 kW/469 hp and 645 Nm of torque. The electric SUV accelerates from 0 to 100 kph in 4.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 210 kph.
At €69,900 as a starting price in Belgium (€1,000 less in Germany), this 50 xDrive variant is, of course, not really cheap. Other, less powerful versions will surely follow, but it’s not clear yet when they will be available and at what price. If the interest in the top model is confirmed, BMW will be confronted with production problems, as it wants other versions of the iX3 to be on the market as soon as possible.
BMW also promises that the iX3 and all vehicles built on the Neue Klasse platform will be great to drive too. That’s something we will have to experience in the coming months. For the moment, the cleaner shape and the clever, uncluttered design features inside and out are promising.
