Spotted: new BMW electric sports car

It may be part of its forthcoming Neue Klasse electric car line-up. A new prototype has been spotted testing near the firm’s development base in Bavaria. Although camouflaged, it clearly wears several key design cues from the Neue Klasse and Neue Klasse X concepts, such as a new kidney grille.

Scroll onto see more photos of the new car:

It appears to be powered by four in-wheel motors – we couldn’t see visible brake calipers.

BMW last year invested €15m into Deepdrive, an electric motor specialist based in Garching, near Munich. Deepdrive claims its drive units are more efficient than those currently on the market.

The Deepdrive RM2400 motor puts out up to 335bhp and 2400Nm of torque in a package measuring 20 inches in diameter and weighing 37kg.

Deepdrive co-CEO Felix Poernbacher recently told trade publication Automotive News that his firm is on track to begin small-scale production of its dual-rotor motors in 2026, with “large-scale” output following in 2028.

Poernbacher said that Deepdrive expects in-wheel motors to account for 5-10% of the total motor market by 2030.

This suggests the new BMW coupé will be a strictly limited prospect. It's possible that it could arrive as the flagship in the wave of incoming Neue Klasse models. The first two – a new iX3 and an electric 3 Series – will be launched next year.

BMW has yet to confirm any such plans, but there seems to be wish within the company to produce a high-speed flagship electric sports car. It previously designed a mid-engined supercar called the i16 but stopped work on the car when the pandemic arrived in 2020.