BMW and Mercedes unveil electric cars: specifications, features and details

Mercedes-Benz and BMW have unveiled concept electric cars as they seek to catch up to Tesla at the premium end of the market.

At the IAA Motor Show in Munich, Mercedes showed the Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA Class while BMW unveiled the BMW Vision Neue Klasse.

These cars are built on the all-new platforms from the German automaker that will underpin its electric vehicle offerings in the years to come, in what was the most aggressive push into battery-powered cars yet.

They’re concept cars, so it’s unclear what it’ll look like when it’s finally put into production. But here’s a closer look at Mercedes and BMW offerings.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA Class is built on the so-called Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), a new platform designed by the German electric car giant.

The lineup will include a total of four new models – a four-door coupe, an estate and two SUVs.

Mercedes claims the car’s range will be 750 km (466 miles) on a single charge. The company also claims that in just 15 minutes, the battery can be charged so that the car can be driven for a distance of 400 km.

Mercedes has placed great emphasis on interior design and user experience. The company said it is developing its own operating system for the car called MB.OS. This will help power various features from the giant screen across the dashboard to the in-car voice assistant.

It will also allow third-party apps, such as your favorite music or video streaming apps, to be integrated with the vehicle.

“This proprietary chip-to-cloud architecture represents a completely new approach for the company and will be a largely hidden but defining aspect of all of its future vehicles,” Mercedes-Benz said in a press release.

Traditional automakers were seen as standing behind Tesla on the software front. This is an attempt by Mercedes to show that they are catching up.

The BMW Vision Neue Klasse is BMW’s answer to Tesla. It is also built on a new architecture that will underpin future BMW electric vehicles.

The first electric cars based on the Neue Klasse architecture – or the new class – are scheduled to enter production in 2025.

The concept car has a glass roof. BMW said the car’s design embodies classic elements known to fans of the brand.

BMW said the car will have what it calls Panoramic Vision, a head-up display that projects information onto the windshield at the driver’s eye line.

This will first be available in the Neue Klasse, the company said. BMW said both the passenger and driver will be able to interact with the panoramic view feature.

There were few details about the range and shipping. But BMW said the new generation of its technology will improve the charging speed of Neue Klasse models by up to 30 percent, as well as boost their range by up to 30 percent.