BMW is embarking on one of its most ambitious and adventurous design revolutions in its 100-year history as it looks to position itself for a future dominated by electric cars and vehicles that drive themselves.
Speaking at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show, BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk said the company would give each of its models a more distinct flavour as the brand takes “the next big step in the design language”.
“We want to differentiate more within the BMW brand to pull the cars further apart,” he said of the bold new look that was showcased with cars such as the M8 and X7 iPerformance concepts.
“Each new car going forward now we believe has to have a very strong character of its own. We didn’t want to fall into the trap of being too uniform.”
The BMW i Vision Dynamics concept car – a car that could be called i5 when it arrives in dealership about 2020 – it also gives a glimpse into that future.
The blanked out kidney grille surrounded by a blue character line is the most obvious departure from the traditional BMW look, something the brand’s design chief Adrian van Hooydonk says is partly in preparation for an era of electric cars.
“It actually allows us also to do a few other things that we’re going to need for autonomous driving,” he says. “We’re going to have to put a lot more sensors, radars and so-on and actually some of them will come behind those surfaces.”
All of which he sees as an opportunity, especially the shift to electric propulsion.
“It will transform the whole industry and if I have something to do with it, at least for our company, the cars will look different after that transformation, so they will have taken a jump in modernity.”
Van Hooydonk says the electric models will get a unique look, helping separate them from traditionally-powered BMWs.
“With BMW i and BMW iPerformance we want to highlight the fact that these cars can drive electrically.”
But it’s the BMW grille that is gearing up for the most radical change, something highlighted with the M8 and X7 concepts.
BMW will use the all-new 3-Series, due in 2018, to make a dramatic step forward in design.
And it’s not just the look, but how it’s executed.
