BMW is determined to overhaul nearly its entire portfolio within the next couple of years. More than 40 next-generation and facelifted models will be launched by the end of 2027, all embracing the fresh design language of the 2026 iX3. Regardless of what’s under the hood, every car will adopt the new look. That includes BMW’s entry-level crossovers, with both the X1 and iX1 slated for a Neue Klasse glow-up.
A new speculative rendering attempts to preview the future of BMW’s entry-level X model. While the design changes are dramatic, the digital exercise isn’t just a shot in the dark. Prototypes of the iX1 have already been spotted testing, seemingly hiding major tweaks. We reckon Munich is eager to align most of its products with the iX3’s Neue Klasse styling in a short timeframe.
We’re beginning to wonder whether the compact luxury crossover will skip the usual Life Cycle Impulse and head straight to the next generation. It wouldn’t be the first BMW in recent years to take this route. Some of you will recall that the previous-gen X5 (F15) also missed out on the LCI. Although the rendering imagines the fully electric iX1, the regular X1 will undergo the same changes.
Earlier this year at CES, BMW Group Head of Design Adrian van Hooydonk told us the Neue Klasse design would be mirrored on combustion-engine and electric cars: “I think you will be hard-pressed [from a distance] to tell which one is the electric one and which one is the combustion engine. It’s going to be that close.”
That makes sense. BMW has always advocated that there shouldn’t be significant design differences between gas and electric cars. The current X1 and iX1 look virtually identical, aside from minor tweaks such as a different grille pattern. This strategy will carry over into the Neue Klasse era and extend to technology like iDrive X, pioneered by the all-new iX3.
The extent of the X1/iX1’s updates will also be reflected in the long-wheelbase model sold in select markets. Additionally, the sleeker X2/iX2 with its coupe-style roofline will inherit the new look. All these models will receive slender vertical kidneys, first used back in 1933 on the 303 midsize sedan.
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