BMW, VW and Merc preview new directions

There were three concepts from the IAA Mobility 2023 show in Munich last week that South African consumers should pay attention to.   

The first, for rather obvious reasons, is the ID.GTI that was intended to invoke the spirit of the original high-performance Golf derivative. Mzansi loves the Volkswagen GTI breed. This concept is a glimpse at how the essence of those three letters might translate into the electric revolution. Volkswagen is yet to officially launch the electric ID division of products in our market. Globally, the automaker plans to release 11 electric models by 2027.   

Stylistically, the ID.GTI has an identity of its own, rather than aping cues from the original Golf. Yet, it is not without elements that hint at kinship with the classic progenitor. It is a five-door hatchback with dainty, but confident proportions.   

While the “I” in GTI traditionally stood for “injection”, Volkswagen says the letter denotes “intelligence” in the case of this concept. Like the familiar Golf GTI, power is sent to the front axle. Volkswagen did not disclose specific powertrain details.

It did promise, however, that the driving experience will offer different profiles, adjusted via a GTI Experience Control set-up on the centre console.   

“For the first time, it is therefore possible to adjust the drive system, running gear, steering, sound experience and even the simulated shift points in the style of one of the historical GTI models, such as the Golf GTI I from 1976, the first Golf GTI II 16V from 1986 or the legendary Golf GTI IV ‘25 years of GTI’ from 2001.”

There was no word on how it plans to reinvent the “vrr-pha” acoustic signature loved by local fans.

Munich is BMW’s home city, which made the showcasing of the Neue Klasse concept all the more special. Neue Klasse means “new class” in English, as you may have guessed.

Many are wondering if the vehicle previews what the future 3-Series could resemble. It is a slightly more conservative expression of the BMW i Vision Dee shown earlier this year.

The Neue Klasse appears to represent a return to old values, in some respects, with a compact, tailored, saloon body style that echoes the personas of three-box executions from yesteryear. In other areas, the model is quite radical. It debuts the next generation of the iDrive interface, which claims to merge real and virtual worlds. Interior buttons are just about non-existent, with the large central screen and voice-operated personal assistant as the driver’s conduit to all functions.

The BMW Panoramic Vision set-up projects a display across the windscreen of the vehicle. Think of it as the head-up display system you already know, but on steroids. “Drivers can move content shown on the central display to the BMW Panoramic Vision with a simple gesture,” says the carmaker.

If you are the type of person who works on two screens at the office, this will feel quite natural. Of course, it is a fully electric vehicle. Among the highlights is a battery system incorporating round cells (vs prismatic cells), which is said to result in 20% higher energy density. BMW says its Neue Klasse electric technologies will enable faster charging and a longer driving range.  

While the BMW is sharp and angular, the concept from rival brand Mercedes-Benz takes on a softer, more curvaceous tone. The Stuttgart company says its CLA concept represents “the electric future of desire” and will spearhead its future compact ambitions.

It rides on the latest Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) platform, powered by an 800-volt battery system, with a quoted driving range of 750km and electricity consumption as low as 12kWh/100km.

It also debuts a new user-interface system, with the MBUX Superscreen that spans end-to-end across the dashboard. Sustainably processed leather, trim made from paper and steel and aluminium components purported to be developed using CO2-reduced methods add to the environmentally friendly credentials of the CLA.