 The new trains were to be branded ICX and were expected to be similar in aesthetic design to the ICE3 trains; the design speed was expected to be in the range and to improve upon the energy efficiency of the units it replaced.The scope of the procurement was later expanded to include replacements for the ICE 1 and ICE 2 trains with a top speed of up to , and the size of the order increased to up to 300 trains.Bids were received from Alstom and Siemens, with the Siemens bid including Bombardier Transportation as a subcontractor.