BMW HypersonX Soundscape Will Make the Neue Klasse EV a Bit More Human

BMW isn’t kidding when it says its upcoming electric Neue Klasse sedan will mark the beginning of a new era. Every part of the car will be new, including a soundscape called HypersonX that includes welcome music, warning chimes, and acceleration and deceleration sounds linked to the driving modes.

The idea of a soundscape isn’t new, and it’s not specific to EVs. The artificial engine noise that gets piped into the cabin via the speakers in some cars arguably qualifies as a soundscape, and, like it or not, have been a part of new cars for years. The current range of BMW’s EVs have one as well: The i4 kind of sounds like a spaceship when you accelerate in Sport mode, for better or worse, and German movie composer Hans Zimmer created the sounds in the iX.

BMW could have easily recycled the i4’s sound experience, but it chose to start from scratch. HypersonX was created in-house by recording a wide selection of noises ranging from sounds found in nature to a choir of its designers reminiscing about joyous moments. Seriously, we can’t make this up. Don’t get the wrong idea, though: You won’t hear the sound of heavy rain falling on driftwood when you signal right, or the sound of a junior exterior designer laughing about a joke if you forget to fasten your seatbelt.

Instead, the various noises that BMW recorded were digitally modified into sounds that can be used in a car. The electric, 3 Series-sized sedan, which should make its debut by the end of 2025, will launch with 43 new sounds designed to make it feel a little more human and natural than, say, the i5. Some are triggered by the new Panoramic iDrive infotainment system, while others change depending on the driving mode.

So, what will the Neue Klasse sound like? Excellent question; We don’t know. BMW merely told us that the HypersonX soundscape has “fewer basic notes than the sound experience previously employed” and an acoustic spectrum “that has grown to include a new dimensional level” for additional color and depth.

The brand cited an example. “Under acceleration, the vehicle gives the impression of moving between different three-dimensional layers of sound, thus transporting the feeling of speed and BMW-typical driving dynamics authentically into the cabin.” Damn. I’m betting a lot of you are reading this thinking “I’d rather have the impression of moving between the gears when I accelerate,” but the Neue Klasse isn’t that kind of BMW sedan. It puts a bigger focus on computing power than on old-school driving dynamics.

It sounds (pun not intended… or was it?) like the other Neue Klasse-based EVs BMW has in the pipeline, which include an SUV, will adopt the HypersonX soundscape as well. But, fear not: BMW isn’t going all-electric, so all’s not lost if your idea of the perfect soundscape is a twin-turbocharged straight-six.