BMW has revealed some details on its electric Vision Driving Experience in the lead-up to its official world premiere at Auto Shanghai 2025 in April. Its latest “Vision Vehicle” is a rolling test bed for drivetrain and driving dynamics management technology developed for the Neue Klasse—the next generation of BMW vehicles.

The BMW Group’s mission with its new high-performance test vehicle is to showcase driving pleasure up to the physical limits. Its debut marks the addition of a fourth dimension to the existing trio of Neue Klasse characteristics of electrical, digital, and circular—called Heart of Joy, which encompasses BMW’s hallmark Sheer Driving Pleasure mantra.

“The Heart of Joy enables us to take driving pleasure not just to the next level, but another one beyond that,” said Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development. “In addition, we are further increasing efficiency and therefore boosting range, as in future the driver will brake almost exclusively using energy regeneration. This is Efficient Dynamics squared.”

The Vision Vehicle develops a whopping 18,000 N·m (13,269 lb·ft) of torque to emphasize its Heart of Joy for driving enthusiasts. The company put the capabilities of the concept to the ultimate test of endurance at the BMW Performance Driving Center in Spartanburg, SC, providing insights into its development program for the electric driving experience on board the Neue Klasse.

“When you examine the numbers—75,000 hours invested over twelve months to create a vehicle that delivers nearly 18,000 N·m the road—it is, without question, the most extraordinary project I have ever experienced,” said High Voltage/Low Voltage Expert Martin Vosswinkel from BMW development partner Roding Automobile GmbH. “Developing this vehicle required us to explore entirely new frontiers in physical performance. To make that happen, integrating active aerodynamics was essential, enabling us to generate over 1200 kg of additional downforce. This active system allowed us to sustain lateral forces exceeding 3G—completely new dimensions, unusual in conventional passenger vehicles.”

The Heart of Joy name is also applied to the control unit that combines powertrain and driving dynamics functions for the first time at BMW. The super-brain brings four important control units together within a single high-performance computer.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, previewed the small black box when he took to the stage at the 2023 IAA in Munich, Germany. Working with the BMW dynamic performance control software, it processes information ten times faster than previous systems. The company says that if the control system can deal with the output of the Vision Vehicle, it will be able to handle the demands of everyday Neue Klasse driving with ease.

“For the first time, we have successfully integrated driving and braking functions,” said BMW Driving Experience Development Expert Christian Thalmeier. “This results in delayed braking interventions and minimized latency between acceleration and braking; this creates an unmatched, seamless driving experience. Transitions between these custom-developed control systems are so fluid that the driver does not even notice them. They experience nothing but smooth performance, the car following the driver, leading to an efficient driving experience. The Heart of Joy and the BMW Dynamic Performance Control enable precise recuperation even to a complete stop, providing what we call the most refined stopping process since the invention of the wheel.”

In the Neue Klasse electronics architecture, the Heart of Joy central control unit is one of four new high-performance computers combining various elements that previously ran separately. The other three super brains are responsible for features including automated and highly automated driving, infotainment, and basic functions such as climate control and comfort-enhancing systems, vehicle access, and interior/exterior lighting.

The high-performance Heart of Joy unit controls acceleration and braking, vehicle stabilization, dynamic steering functions, and charging management, with its innovative control functionality protected by several patent applications. The central processing unit and software developed in-house enable all connected actuators to respond directly and with latencies in the millisecond range.

In dynamic driving scenarios, the new controller and software combination is engineered to provide “cornering poise and assurance beyond compare.” The car generates impressive traction and can be threaded through corners, the car’s line maintained with greater precision and stability. This helps the car to develop consistent, reproducible cornering behavior and allows it to be steered more intuitively and smoothly. Even at low speeds, such as in stop-start driving and when parking, direct signal transmissions, and rapid information processing ensure a better driving experience.

The integrated drivetrain, braking, and energy recuperation control also allows energy to be used more sustainably, with up to 98% of driving not needing conventional braking inputs. The braking power generated using energy recuperation is sufficient for everyday driving; only under heavy braking is intervention required from the friction brakes.

The test vehicle demonstrates how the Heart of Joy controller is working by lighting on its wheels—acceleration is displayed in green, energy recuperation in blue, and friction braking in orange. In an ideal scenario, the system increases efficiency by up to 25%.

The first Neue Klasse is a taller (crossover) electric model that will go into series production later this year at Plant Debrecen in Hungary. Futurride covered that vehicle in March 2024 here. The sedan will ramp up from 2026 at Plant Munich. At least six different Neue Klasse models will be released in the first 24 months following the start of production. Those models will also be produced at plants in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and Shenyang, China.

As the first Neue Klasse vehicles approach production, BMW has been drip feeding news on their innovations. The company presented its “driving and user experience of the future” at CES 2025, which provided the first opportunity for potential customers to see and feel the close-to-production version of the new iDrive and its headlining Panoramic Vision. The software underpinning the display and operating concept is the new BMW Operating System X.

The Panoramic iDrive is scalable and will be integrated into all new BMW models—across all vehicle segments and with all drive system technologies—from the end of 2025, with the driving experience taking “center stage.”