Thalmeier confirmed to us that Neue Klasse will be programmed with BMW’s signature rear-drive bias, which will be good news to fans of the brand. BMW has also worked to make Neue Klasse models feel more precise and consistent through corners, we’re told, and to deliver better stability.
We’ll judge for ourselves in time, but it helps that the Heart of Joy is expandable, so can also manage a drivetrain involving a limited-slip differential and rear-axle steering – both of which we suspect will make an appearance on the next M3.
Finally, while BMW’s existing architecture for electric cars can support two e-motors at most, the Heart of Joy has unlocked the possibility of tri- and quad-motor powertrains. The very simple benefit, Thalmeier explained, is “the more engines, the more power”.
He added: “It’s obvious if you want to go from 0-60mph in 1.8 seconds, then it’s better to use more than two electric engines because if you only have two they have to be bigger, so it’s easier to have four smaller ones.”
Having four e-motors, like you’ll find in the Rimac Nevera hypercar or BMW’s VDX, also allows for torque vectoring by adjusting each motor’s speed for even greater agility. And of course, the calculations for all that are handled by the Heart of Joy.
We ride shotgun in the BMW Vision Driving Experience
Despite a lot of grovelling, we were not allowed to get behind the wheel of the power hungry Vision Driving Experience when we saw it for the first time late last year. Thankfully, BMW M Motorsport works driver Jens Klingmann was on hand to take us out for a few short laps on the test track at BMW’s Performance Centre in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
