BMW will launch a new entry-level electric compact car in 2028, the Munich-based automaker confirmed at its Capital Market Day 2026.

The vehicle, provisionally identified as the i1, will be built on BMW's Neue Klasse platform and represents the second battery-electric model the company has now publicly scheduled for its next rollout phase.

BMW framed both announcements at the investor event held at its Munich headquarters this week. At the same presentation, BMW also confirmed it will unveil the all-electric iX4 later in 2026.

What did BMW announce?

BMW's Capital Market Day presentation set two confirmed milestones for the Munich-based OEM's electric portfolio:

• An iX4 reveal before year-end 2026
• A Neue Klasse-based compact car launch in 2028

The Munich-based OEM used the Capital Market Day event to communicate its broader product strategy, with the iX4 and the 2028 compact serving as the two most concrete announcements from the presentation.

Both vehicles form part of BMW's rollout of its Neue Klasse architecture, the platform that underpins the company's next-generation battery-electric models.

What remains unconfirmed

The compact car's name has not been finalized. Reporting from the Capital Market Day event links the model to the i1 badge, but BMW has not formally confirmed a designation.

Several key details also remain undisclosed:

• Production location for the 2028 compact
• Supplier contracts for the entry-level model
• Pricing positioning relative to current BMW EVs
• Annual production volumes
• Battery supplier and cell sourcing for the compact

Until BMW confirms these details, the 2028 launch date should be treated as an announced intention rather than a contracted production slot, and the i1 badge should be read as provisional rather than confirmed.

How the two launches fit together

The iX4 functions as the higher-positioned of the two new models, arriving in 2026 to fill out BMW's electric crossover range. The 2028 compact car slots below it as the lowest-priced Neue Klasse model in the lineup, giving the automaker a wider entry point into battery-electric ownership.

The iX4 will arrive first, with its reveal scheduled for the second half of 2026, ahead of the compact car's 2028 launch by roughly 18 months. The iX4's earlier debut gives BMW time to establish the model before the lower-priced compact reaches market.

The two launches together extend BMW's electric portfolio by one crossover and one compact car over a roughly two-year window.

What to watch next

Three checkpoints will move this story forward over the next 18 months:

1. The iX4's official unveiling date, expected in the second half of 2026
2. Formal name confirmation for the 2028 compact car
3. Plant allocation and supplier awards for the entry-level Neue Klasse model

The first hard data point will be the iX4 reveal, which BMW has not yet scheduled publicly. Subsequent announcements on plant location, supplier sourcing, and pricing for the 2028 compact will determine whether the 2028 launch holds and where the model will be built.

For plant managers and Tier 1 vendors, the open questions are production site, supplier sourcing, and annual volumes. Until BMW addresses these, the 2028 date remains a target rather than a confirmed production slot.