The BMW i8 was well ahead of its time and by the looks of things, BMW is developing a futuristic coupé reminiscent of that iconic car, potentially part of its upcoming Neue Klasse electric car lineup.
A new prototype has been spotted testing near the company’s R&D base in Bavaria. Although heavily camouflaged, it clearly features several key design elements from the Neue Klasse and Neue Klasse X concepts, such as the reimagined kidney grille.
The prototype appears to be powered by four in-wheel motors, indicated by the absence of visible brake calipers. This marks a departure from BMW’s current EVs, like the i4, which have motors mounted inboard of their axles.
Last year, BMW invested $16.1 million (£12.6m) into Deepdrive, a motor specialist located close to its R&D base in Garching, near Munich.
Deepdrive claims its drive units are more cost and energy efficient than those currently available, with higher torque density as well.
For reference, Deepdrive’s top-of-the-line RM2400 in-wheel motor delivers up to 250 kW (335 hp) and 2,400Nm (1,770 lb-ft) of torque in a package that measures 20 inches in diameter and weighs 37 kg.
BMW previously announced that its new Heart of Joy drive controller, crucial to the character of its upcoming EVs, can support outputs of up to 1000,kW (1,341 hp). This exactly matches the combined output of four RM2400 motors.
This new BMW coupé may be a limited-edition model and could potentially debut as the flagship in the Neue Klasse lineup. The first two models, a new iX3 and an electric 3 Series, are set to launch next year.
Images above via Autocar