When did BMW’s naming start to make sense? It was a simple three-digit method. The first number told you what model it was, and the following two numbers told you how big the engine was. You could tell exactly what kind of car you were looking at from just three digits. Then SUVs and electric vehicles muddied the water, making it what it is now: a confusing, chaotic mess. But BMW’s next wave of Neue Klasse cars will give the company a chance to return to its glory days. Car Magazine says that BMW has filed trademarks for several new model names with the European trademark office. This may mean that BMW will soon be able to give more information about its models. Beyond 2030, BMW is one of the few automakers actively pushing and investing in internal combustion engines (ICE) instead of just giving them alongside electric vehicles. BMW needs an easier way to name its cars because the same car, like the X3, will come in electric and gas versions. According to recent trademark filings, all models, no matter their shape, will use the standard three-number format, and only the letter “i” will recognize electric cars. Car Mag says the BMW X3 will be the first to use this new naming scheme. The regular X3 will be called the X320 and the X330. The current X3 is called the following: BMW’s X3 xDrive30i. The new method is much better than the old one. Based on the Neue Klasse platform, the electric X3s will also be called the iX330, iX340, and iX350. The BMW i4 eDrive35i is a lot easier to use. There is a rumor that the layout of sedans and coupes will be the same, but without the “X.” For example, the 3 Series sedans will be called 330 and 340 (or whatever numbers BMW picks), and the electric versions will be called i330 and i340. Take note of how BMW seems to be dropping the “i” from the end of the names of its internal combustion engines. That “i” was used to mean a car’s fuel injection for the first time decades ago, and people kept using it even after fuel injection became common. BMW is finally getting rid of the “i” because it would be confusing to have it in the names of both electric and internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, even if they were at different ends of the number scale. The plans BMW has for its M cars are still being determined, but they seem simple: BMW M3 or iM3. These applications for trademarks are just that: applications. Even though nothing is set in stone yet, I hope this naming plan stays because it is much better than BMW’s.
