Two contrasting development stories landed on Germany’s test roads this autumn — and both matter to buyers, dealers and engineers across Germany and Austria. A lightly camouflaged BMW i3 Touring was filmed hard‑running at the Nürburgring, while spy photographers continue to spot an Audi Q5‑bodied mule believed to hide Porsche’s next combustion Macan. These sightings signal where product priorities and production lines will land in 2027–2028.

BMW’s Neue Klasse wagon: Nürburgring runs and Munich production

Spy video and photos show a Touring prototype — the long‑roof variant of the Neue Klasse i3 — undergoing high‑speed testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, suggesting BMW is in the late stages of chassis and durability work. Journalists captured the car in October and November during test sessions near the circuit.

BMW itself has already signalled the i3 family’s industrial footprint: in a company statement dated 6 May 2026 BMW confirmed “The i3 will be produced at our main Plant in Munich” and said the factory was remodelled with an investment of around €650 million; the plant is scheduled to move to exclusive EV production from 2027. Series production of the i3 began in August (company statement) with additional Neue Klasse models — including the i3 Touring — slated for manufacture in Munich.

Porsche’s curious mule: a Q5 that isn’t an Audi

Separately, spy photographers have repeatedly caught an Audi Q5 silhouette wearing unusual bodywork and wider arches — a test mule that multiple outlets identify as development for a new, combustion‑engine Porsche compact SUV (the successor/companion to the electric Macan). The disguised Q5 mule has been tracked since earlier in 2026 and continued to appear in testing footage through the autumn.

Reports place that project on a Volkswagen Group combustion platform with gasoline four‑cylinder and V6 options plus a plug‑in hybrid variant, and timing commonly cited by observers points to a 2028 market arrival for the combustion‑powered model.

What this means for the market

For Germany and Austria the two threads are telling. BMW’s visible track work and BMW Group’s confirmation that Munich will manufacture the Neue Klasse i3 family underline a concrete ramp‑up of EV estate models for European buyers — a product that targets traditional wagon buyers and fleet customers who still prefer conventional body styles over SUVs. At the same time, Porsche’s use of a disguised Audi mule indicates that premium brands continue to hedge: electrification proceeds, but combustion and hybrid options remain on the roadmap where market demand or regulatory timing justifies them.

Practical consequences: dealers should expect fresh Neue Klasse inventory into Munich supply chains in 2027 and should prepare sales and service teams for an i3 Touring that borrows heavily from the i3 sedan’s hardware; workshops and parts planners in Germany and Austria should note BMW’s €650m plant conversion implies concentrated local production and parts flows. Meanwhile Porsche‑network retailers will need to reconcile ongoing EV marketing for the Macan Electric with a renewed combustion/hybrid compact SUV programme that, if it arrives, will affect option lists and resale dynamics.

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Sources: BMW Group (press), Motor1, BMWBLOG, Carscoops