BMW iX3 surge
BMW’s Neue Klasse iX3 just hit 50,000 pre‑orders and the company added an extra production shift to meet demand—BMW says the model is even bringing in customers who never owned a BMW before. The iX3 is pitched as the electric counterpart to the X3 on the Neue Klasse platform and is already being lined up against Mercedes’ new GLC Electric as the luxury EV crossover battle ramps up. (businessinsider.de) (theportugalnews.com) (autocar.co.uk)
Series production of the Neue Klasse iX3 started at BMW Group Plant Debrecen in late October 2025. (bmwblog.com) BMW staged a customer handover at BMW World in Munich on January 27, 2026, and the company lists first UK deliveries on March 7, 2026. (electrive.com) BMW published technical figures for the iX3 50 xDrive showing a usable battery around 108.7 kWh, Gen6 800V architecture with up to ~400 kW DC peak charging and dual motors rated at about 345 kW (≈469 hp). (cardivision.com) BMW and several outlets quote a WLTP range figure near 805 km (about 497 miles) for the 50 xDrive specification and a 0–100 km/h time of roughly 4.9 seconds. (cardivision.com) Pricing has already moved: BMW raised the German starting price by €2,000 to €70,900 in late January 2026, while BMW’s UK press material lists an OTR price from £58,755 for the 50 xDrive. (bmwblog.com) BMW confirmed a long‑wheelbase iX3 developed “in China, for China” with a China world‑premiere timing around January 21, 2026, and BMW has signalled that long‑wheelbase variants will reach other markets in the months after the initial launch. (press.bmwgroup.com) Autocar published a full review of the Mercedes‑Benz GLC Electric on March 23, 2026, framing it as Mercedes’ electric iteration of the GLC, while comparative writeups (including InsideEVs) have highlighted the GLC 400 EQ’s different performance and efficiency tradeoffs versus BMW’s Neue Klasse iX3. (autocar.co.uk)
