BMW confirms electric 1 Series for 2028 on Neue Klasse platform
The next 1 Series will be a compact Neue Klasse EV focused on Europe and built on the i3/iX3 platform; BMW is also weighing a larger SUV above the X7 and plans broader regional product changes.
By CarNews247 Reporter ·
BMW has confirmed it will launch a compact Neue Klasse electric vehicle — set to be the next 1 Series — in 2028, with the model focused on the European market.
The new 1 Series EV will use BMW's Neue Klasse architecture, the same platform underpinning the iX3 and i3, and base versions will return to a rear-wheel-drive layout.
BMW said the electric 'i1' will sit alongside a combustion-engined 1 Series that shares the same styling but is technically different.
The car forms part of a wider regionalised product initiative intended to address what BMW described as "diverse regional customers preferences", which will include "significant adjustments" to the company's drivetrain portfolio in each region.
As part of that regional focus, BMW will shift more SUV production to the United States and expand the number of Neue Klasse models produced in China while limiting imports there to "the models with the highest margins" and increasing local content, particularly for technology.
BMW said the regionalised portfolio will also reduce the number of model variants and see some less-profitable models cut; the firm confirmed it will not replace the 2 Series Active Tourer MPV.
The company is also investigating a new large SUV to sit above the current X7 for the growing US market — a model that is expected to carry the X8 name, though BMW did not confirm final naming.
BMW announced wider corporate measures intended to return the company to an EBIT margin of 8–10% by early 2027, including the "systematic" use of AI tools to speed development and improve manufacturing efficiency, a new agency sales model, and a plan to cut divisions and associated management roles by 20% by mid-2027.
