It appears that Thailand will be the first market in South East Asia to get the all-new 2026 BMW iX3, the first model in the carmaker’s Neue Klasse (New Class) generation of electric vehicles (EV), but Malaysia will be hot on its heels with the electric Bimmer. The Neue Klasse marks BMW’s first dedicated EV
It appears that Thailand will be the first market in South East Asia to get the all-new 2026 BMW iX3, the first model in the carmaker’s Neue Klasse (New Class) generation of electric vehicles (EV), but Malaysia will be hot on its heels with the electric Bimmer.
The Neue Klasse marks BMW’s first dedicated EV architecture as previous models shared a platform with their internal combustion variants. Thai media Autolife Thailand TV indicated a mid-March 2026 launch following the SUV’s appearance on the BMW Thailand’s website.
Only a sole BMW iX3 50 xDrive variant is available for now, with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup and outputs of 469 PS and 645 Nm of torque. That is good enough for a century sprint of 4.9 seconds and top speed of 210 kph.
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The iX3 runs on BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive technology that promises more efficient motors and a reduction in drive system weight. Furthermore, it utilises 800 V architecture for faster charging and improved thermal management.
It uses a 108.7 kWh Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) battery with new cylindrical cells for increased energy density. The 800 V architecture allows DC fast charging up to 400 kW and can go from 10-80% in 21 minutes. Using the maximum AC charging of 11 kW, it will 11 hours to fully charge.
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A short 10 minute charge will give the iX3 372 km of range while the full range is quoted at 805 km (WLTP).
BMW have also built a new central control unit to manage the handling, labelled the ‘Heart of Joy.’ It comprises a high-performance computer that integrates powertrain and chassis settings such as acceleration, braking and steering into a single unit. The result is a more balanced driving experience with everything working together as well as quicker response to inputs.
Malaysia will definitely be getting the iX3 too, at least in the same iX3 50 xDrive trim seen in Thailand and in a long-wheelbase variant, as seen in the registration-of-interest on the BMW Malaysia site. That said, no launch timeline or pricing has been indicated yet but could be very soon after the Thail launch.