2028 BMW X1 to Wear Neue Klasse Face and Panoramic iDrive

The 2028 BMW X1's mid-cycle refresh will wear a Neue Klasse front fascia, according to new computer-generated images shared by the Instagram account @avarvarii. The renderings, derived from a scooped prototype, show a markedly different nose and an interior dominated by BMW's Panoramic iDrive screen.

The facelift is an LCI that appears to bring Neue Klasse design cues both outside and inside, replacing the current dual‑screen layout with the panoramic display and a wholly revised cockpit.

Exterior changes

The CGIs depict a quirky, reworked kidney grille, new headlight signatures and a much more aggressive lower bumper. Unlike the new generation X5, the images do not show X‑shaped daytime running lights, and the door handles remain the same rather than adopting the wing‑like elements seen on larger models. At the rear, taillights are noticeably wider and slimmer on the rear three‑quarter panels, the license plate recess has been moved down into the bumper for a cleaner tailgate, and the rear bumper reads sportier. New wheel designs and a range of exterior colours complete the visual package in the renderings.

Interior, heritage and powertrains

The cabin scoops that have circulated earlier this year line up with the renderings: a Panoramic iDrive display stretching across the lower base of the windshield from pillar to pillar, a free‑floating central screen and a distinctive, unconventional steering wheel. BMW's current dual screen instrument and infotainment setup will be discarded, along with the present steering wheel and dashboard panel, as most interior elements are replaced. BMW calls this update an LCI, short for Life Cycle Impulse, though the changes could easily pass for a new generation.

BMW has not confirmed powertrain changes. The present X1 line includes the range‑topping M35i with a 2.0 liter four cylinder producing 312 hp (316 ps/232 kW) and 295 lb‑ft (400 Nm) of torque, good for 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph (250 kph). The base X1 xDrive28i uses a 2.0 liter four producing 241 hp (244 ps/179 kW) and reaches 60 mph in 6.2 seconds. An electric iX1 is also offered, and the X1 is built on the UKL2 platform shared with the 1 Series, 2 Series Gran Coupe, 2 Series Active Tourer, X2 and the MINI Countryman among others.

The current third generation X1 went into assembly at BMW's Regensburg plant in Germany in October 2022, and the model is also produced in China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. In the United States the 2027 X1 M35i starts at $52,400 and the base X1 xDrive28i starts at $43,200.

BMW has not announced an official reveal date. The current information and the US model year timing suggest the refreshed X1 will arrive as a 2028 model year car, with an unveiling likely in the coming months.