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Photo: kelsonik / Instagram
The Bavarian automaker BMW initiated the Neue Klasse revolution in terms of both design and technology in the fall of 2025 with the arrival of the NA5 second-generation BMW iX3 electric compact luxury crossover SUV.
The company had set in motion the Neue Klasse ethos a while ago with hints and teasers and spies and renderings, but they didn’t hurry after the iX3 and instead reserved the attack for 2026. As such, so far this year the Bavarians have already brought out the NA0 second-generation BMW i3, now morphed into a sedan to mirror the ICE-powered BMW 3 Series, plus the facelifted BMW 7 Series and i7.
The latter only adopts the Neue Klasse lifestyle inside, with the BMW Panoramic Vision also premiering the passenger screen, and there’s also the all-new fifth-generation G65 BMW X5 mid-size luxury crossover SUV, which could be the year’s biggest debut from BMW, even though it still carries the same Cluster Architecture (CLAR) platform.
The decision was made to accommodate no less than five different powertrains: gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, BEV, and also hydrogen, while everything else is Neue Klasse: exterior, interior, and all the surrounding technology save for the powertrains. So far, the first-ever BMW iX5 60 xDrive is the star attraction of the family, rocking a 144 kWh (North America) or 141 kWh (Europe) battery pack with cylindrical cells, the biggest in BMW’s history, along with an 800-volt architecture for charging speeds of up to 460 kW.
Of course, just like it happened with all the other Neue Klasse models, not everyone will be happy with the new styling direction for the latest BMW X5. No worries, though, as there are solutions – at least from a member of the imaginative guild of digital car content creators dwelling across the parallel universes of vehicular CGI.
More precisely, Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as “kelsonik” on social media, thinks that now is the right CGI time to consider an alternate BMW X5, and just recently he showcased an unofficial, hypothetical design project focused on the all-new BMW X5, albeit with a modified exterior and interior.
Outside, the pixel master changed the iconic kidney grille to a square element, reworked the headlights to abandon the dual ‘X’ LED treatment, and also redesigned the front bumper to accommodate the changes. The profile now came with regular door handles, and inside the cabin the steering wheel reverted to a standard three-spoke unit; now there’s a single screen in the middle, and the pillar-to-pillar digital instrument cluster was replaced with a small one tucked behind the steering wheel, as per tradition.
But was that enough? Apparently, it wasn’t, as the pixel master decided to create yet another version, adapting the Neue Klasse design to the return of the fabled ‘BMW angel eyes.’ That’s not the only modification, as the bumper has subtly reworked exterior air intakes, the awkwardly tall and slim kidney grille is also redesigned into squarer elements, and traditional door handles are also back in their normal place. So, what do you think – yay or nay? Also, which BMW X5 would you buy if you’re into the real one with Neue Klasse – gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, BEV, or hydrogen fuel cell?