BMW is making moves in the UK, announcing the BMW iX3 40 for £53,250 ($70,798). That sounds like a lot for a compact luxury electric SUV, but it'll arrive in the summer with 316 horsepower going to the rear wheels and charging speeds up to 300 kW.According to BMW, the iX3 40 can charge up to 186 miles of range (European WLTP standard) in "just under ten minutes." It follows the launch of the BMW iX3 50 xDrive but slots in below it as the entry-level model into the Neue Klasse platform. It might be entry-level, but it's powerful, technologically advanced, and advertised as having a range up to 395 miles. The New Neue Klasse BMW While it does pack a punch with 316 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, the BMW iX3 40 isn't as quick off the line as you may expect. According to BMW, it will go from zero to 62 mph in 5.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 124 mph. What BMW is pushing, however, is just how efficient the little SUV is. The system is built on an 800V technology system, and an electrically excited synchronous motor is integrated into the rear axle.With the motor built into the rear axle, that means no drive shaft leeching power before it gets to the rear wheels. And an electrically excited synchronous motor means that the electrical current for the rotor is supplied directly to the windings rather than by permanent magnets or induction. But that's extremely technical, so we prefer to think that an electrically excited synchronous motor means the motor is super pleased to be there, and powered by electricity.All the above means that the iX3 40 can go a long way using just an 82.6 kWh lithium-ion battery, which is built to be part of the structural component of the vehicle. That helps reduce the amount of materials needed to build the iX3 and avoids extra weight. Of Course, There's AI And Big Tech On Offer BMWLike the iX3 50, it comes with multimodal operating logic of BMW Panoramic iDrive using BMW Operating System X, which is PR speak for you can press buttons and talk to it. Because, of course, BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant can be upgraded to Amazon Alexa+ AI technology.If you're not already exhausted by being bombarded with AI and don't mind big tech in your car, the upgrade uses a Large Language Model-based generative AI model to formulate responses and can control the windows, air conditioning and seating comfort, manage phone calls, control in-car entertainment, and more.For the driver that enjoys driving, the iX3 also has BMW's wonderfully named Heart of Joy control computer with BMW Dynamic Performance Control software. According to BMW, it responds "ten times faster than previous systems to provide effortless, agile and assured handling."In the press release for the iX3 40, there is an odd final brag from BMW, where it claims that because of "the precise control of the electric motor, the new BMW iX3 40 brakes to a complete halt without any jerks or noise, delivering the smoothest stopping process in the history of the brand." We've honestly never experienced jerky or noisy braking from a mainstream BMW, but if the BMW iX3 stops smoother and quieter than a BMW 7 Series, that's quite an achievement.When, or if, the iX3 40 reaches the US, we don't know. We suspect it'll be a case of whether the current economic situation sorts itself out.