The Neue Klasse revolution has barely begun and already BMW has a problem. The good kind. Buyers are snapping up the new electric iX3 so quickly that it’s almost sold out through to the end of 2026, forcing the company to speed up plans for extra factory shifts.

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That’s a big vote of confidence for a car customers haven’t even driven yet. Since its debut last autumn, the iX3 has made up around a third of BMW’s electric orders in Europe. Deliveries only start in March, yet much of the planned output is effectively gone.

To keep wait times from stretching into next winter, BMW is bringing forward a second production shift at its brand new Debrecen plant in Hungary, Auto News reports. The site is BMW’s first factory built purely for EVs, and while it’ll eventually build around 150,000 cars a year, it’s currently still ramping up. Clearly, that ramp needs to get steeper.

This matters far beyond one SUV. The iX3 is the first model on BMW’s all-new Neue Klasse platform and wears a bravely modern Neue Klasse design, as will the upcoming Neue Klasse 3-Series replacement later this year.

If buyers are this enthusiastic about the SUV, BMW executives will be feeling pretty good about the electric sports sedan waiting in the wings.

More Tech, More Color for 2027MY

BMW isn’t wasting time in adding polishing the package to make the iX3 even more desirable, either. From spring, the compact SUV gains an optional 22 kW AC charging upgrade, cutting home and workplace charging times. It also adds Vehicle to Load capability, letting owners power external devices at up to 3.7 kW and making camping trips more sophisticated.

There are fresh paint choices, too, including Eucalyptus Green metallic and Frozen Space Silver, plus some interior trim tweaks and the introduction of new options like a stainless steel loading sill, bright white steering wheel and an M-striped key.

Smaller SUVs Get Some Love Too

And BMW’s older electric crossovers aren’t being ignored this year, even if the iX3 is hogging the spotlight. The iX1 and iX2 receive more efficient silicon-carbide semiconductor components, boosting range by about 25 miles (40 km) depending on version. That’s a handy bump for everyday usability, improving the previously poor range of the best-performing eDrive20 to as much as 319 miles (514 km).

Price cuts aren’t just a domestic strategy for Chinese automakers. Even Western legacy brands are jumping in. Last week, BMW announced sweeping reductions across 31 of its models in China, highlighting a more aggressive effort to keep pace with intensifying competition in the world’s largest auto market.

The biggest cut came to the BMW i7 M70L, the high-performance flagship of the all-electric 7-Series. This dual-motor sedan delivers 659 horsepower and 811 lb-ft (1,100 Nm) of torque. As of last week, it now carries a price tag that’s 301,000 yuan lower, a reduction of roughly $42,000.

Read: BMW Is Cranking Out Cars “Like Pretzels” And Says Even China Can’t Keep Up

While the i7 had the largest drop in raw numbers, the steepest percentage cut went to the iX1 eDrive25L. BMW trimmed the price of the long-wheelbase variant of the compact SUV by 24 percent, bringing the new starting figure to 228,000 yuan, or about $32,600.

Speaking to Bloomberg, BMW said the price changes are part of its “regular price management,” adding that “final transaction prices are independently negotiated and determined between authorized BMW dealers and customers.”

How Far Will Discounts Go?

Behind the curtain, though, the timing suggests more than just routine recalibration. November marked the second straight month of declining sales in China, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association. That slide has spurred several automakers to adjust pricing.

Meanwhile, regulators have introduced measures designed to prevent brands from undercutting costs, prohibiting sales below production cost and banning dealer incentives that push prices beneath that threshold, Bloomberg reports.

Also: China Is Banning Tesla-Style Door Handles

BMW’s recent cuts appear to bring official pricing closer to what customers were already paying after negotiations. According to Yale Zhang, managing director at Automotive Foresight, the updated stickers largely reflect existing transaction norms rather than undercutting them. “The new prices aren’t any lower than typical dealer selling prices,” Zhang noted.

When Deals Become a Warning Sign

Big savings could be just around the corner. With the Chinese New Year approaching in February, many manufacturers are expected to introduce further incentives in hopes of front-loading first-quarter sales.

At least 14 car brands have already rolled out some form of discount or incentive program since the beginning of 2026. Zhang believes this trend is less a temporary blip than a reflection of broader pressures within the market.

“Various kinds of promotional activities may ebb and flow in the market from time to time, but they are here to stay,” Zhang told the news outlet.

Chinese authorities, meanwhile, are taking a cautious stance. With more manufacturers opting to slash prices, regulators are increasingly concerned about the potential knock-on effects. They worry that an extended period of discounts could spark deflation, disrupt the automotive supply chain, and put downward pressure on wages.

The BMW iX1 will turn four years old in May, but major changes are in store as a Neue Klasse version is in the works. It promises to be a radical departure that ushers in some new technology we’ve already seen on the iX3.

More: BMW’s 2027 X5 Finally Shows Its Lights And What’s Hiding Inside

Spied at a charging station, the crossover adopts an all-new front end with a slender twin kidney grille. It’s accompanied by lighting units that closely recall those found on the iX3.

Further below, we can see a wide central intake that eschews the vertical element found on its larger counterpart. The bumper also appears pretty curvaceous, which should help to improve the model’s aerodynamics.

Moving down the sides, there are pronounced wheel arches and streamlined bodywork. We can also see flush-mounted door handles and a familiar greenhouse.

The rear end is heavily disguised, but there’s a new liftgate with a license plate recess that has been moved closer to the bumper. The model also sports a flatter spoiler and a more rounded design.

The Neue Klasse design continues inside the cabin, which has been equipped with Panoramic iDrive. It features a pillar-to-pillar display at the base of the windscreen as well as a freestanding infotainment system, which presumably measures 17.9 inches.

Elsewhere, we can see a new center console with a shifter and controls that appear to be lifted directly from the iX3. Additional details are hard to make out, but the crossover has a camera-mounted on the rearview mirror.

While it was initially believed BMW was working on a Neue Klasse facelift for the X1 lineup, this appears to be a redesigned iX1. This suggests the ICE and EV variants will diverge in a similar fashion to the X3 and iX3.

As a result, the connections to the iX3 will be more than skin deep and the two models will likely share a lot in common. This should include an 800V architecture, cylindrical-cell battery packs, and efficient electric motors.

We’ll likely get a better idea of what to expect once BMW rolls out additional versions of the iX3. So far, we’ve only seen the 50 xDrive variant, which has a dual-motor all-wheel drive system producing a combined output of 463 hp (345 kW / 469 PS) and 476 lb-ft (645 Nm) of torque. The model also sports a 108.7 kWh battery pack, which provides a WLTP range of up to 500 miles (805 km).

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