MUNICH, Sept 2 (Reuters) – BMW is once again turning to the “Neue Klasse” brand – this time as an electric vehicle – as the German automaker seeks to replicate past successes to catch up with trailblazer Tesla.During the early 1960s, BMW (BMWG.DE) was a struggling enterprise with an uncertain future, overshadowed by Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) and the giants of Detroit.The company’s leaders put all their chips behind a new car they called the “Neue Klasse,” or “new class.” Launched in 1962 as the BMW 1800, the Neue Klasse set the German automaker on course to become “the ultimate driving machine” company and one of the most successful brands in any industry.Now, BMW is at another crossroads, and is turning again to a “Neue Klasse” to drive a new strategic direction.BMW debuted at the Munich autoshow on Saturday a prototype for a “Neue Klasse” electric vehicle (EV) roughly the size of the current 3-series, the company’s best-selling model line.The show car features panoramic information “head-up” displays projected on the windshield, as well as some traditional BMW design elements such as a distinctive angle – the Hofmeister kink named for the designer of the original Neue Klasse – in the rear side windows and the dashboard screen.”We want to make this vehicle generation so modern that it looks like we skipped one generation,” BMW Chief Designer Adrian van Hooydonk said. “That is necessary because of those new players that are coming in. You know the debate that’s been going on: Oh, traditional OEM (manufacturer) over 100 years old, can you make this step? We can and we want to.”The show car previews a multibillion-euro effort to jump the technology gap with Tesla (TSLA.O) and other EV makers that are winning customers with models and software-driven features many current BMWs do not match.That is despite BMW being relatively early to embrace EVs with the launch of the i3 compact in 2013 – a car that never shifted large volumes and was eventually discontinued in 2022.”Neue Klasse is by far the biggest investment in our history. Because the technology we are using all over BMW is all new in all areas, without exception,” Frank Weber, BMW’s chief technology officer, said in an interview ahead of the Munich event.BMW executives did not disclose the total investment figures. The company is investing 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion)in new battery-making and assembly operations for the Neue Klasse at a plant in Hungary, one of the first factories to start building the vehicles.When real Neue Klasse vehicles start to go down assembly lines in 2025, they will arrive 13 years after Tesla launched the Model S and redefined the ultimate driving machine for many affluent customers. Tesla and other EV startups already use key elements of the Neue Klasse design, such as a battery pack that forms part of the vehicle’s body structure to reduce weight and assembly cost.’COMPETITIVE OFFER’BMW’s new compact models will enter a competitive…
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