Oliver Heilmer: Class 
Representative

Mr. Heilmer, the Neue Klasse has been described as a once-in-a-century project. Is working on it more of a joy or a burden?

As a designer, you always set yourself very ambitious goals and end up putting the most pressure on yourself. Looking back – no matter the project – I’ve always been my own toughest critic and driving force. Besides, every derivative has played an essential role for the BMW brand. But in this case, the teams were genuinely excited to be part of BMW’s future story – more joy than nervousness, really. The challenge was to channel that energy.

How important is teamwork with the Neue Klasse?

The way we work together is key to the future. The reason is simple: the pace is accelerating – and you have to keep up. The fastest way forward is by pushing things together as a team. You take bigger leaps that way. You fall together, but you also get back up together.

That doesn’t sound very hierarchical.

It isn’t. You have to take hierarchy out of the equation. The era of the one all-powerful designer – that might have worked once upon a time. But products today are far too complex. You need broader, instantly accessible expertise that goes far beyond pure aesthetics. The design process used to be very linear and segmented – first exterior, then interior, then materials and colors. Today, it works differently.

So what does that new process look like?

You start by defining a target experience and posing questions to the team: What should the product feel like for the customer? What longings can we tap into? How do we convey that? A shared vision then emerges organically – one that goes beyond details or surface aesthetics. It’s about the product as a whole. The execution requires discipline, but also ongoing dialogue to achieve a holistic picture. And even after the launch, we keep talking as a team about details. That’s great

Let’s talk specifically about the Neue Klasse. What was the basic idea?

The Neue Klasse can be discussed on many levels – it was like that before as well. We asked ourselves: What was the mindset behind it at the time? What impact did it have – not just on the BMW brand but on the people within the company? What grew out of it? We had to internalize the brand’s collective memory. That was our starting point.

But for something so radically new, did you really have to reuse such an old name?

At the end of the day, it’s about connection – linguistic as well. Everyone knows that the Neue Klasse once saved BMW from being bought out. That carries a different kind of energy than calling it BMW 2.0. The Neue Klasse sparks a pioneering spirit. It’s not just about a new product, but about new processes and new ways of collaboration.

→ Read the entire interview in ramp #69 “More Than Machines.”