BMW’s Vision ConnectedDrive Concept is one of the real show stars in Geneva. BMW’s Director of Group Design, Adrian van Hooydonk talks more about the overall strategy behind the concept here. And Head of Interior Design at BMW, Marc Girard has talked us through the interior here and here.
This car had a tough act to follow in the form of the acclaimed Vision EfficientDynamics Concept shown at the IAA in Frankfurt in 2009. Based on pictures released some weeks before Geneva, some were also questioning whether this car would live up the high standards of design and originality set by that car. In photos, some of the resolution and surfacing made this car look a little slab-like. Yet in the flesh the car has a lithe, elegant form and a lightness of execution that belies its complex technology.
There is some surprisingly poor surfacing on show on other cars here in Geneva, but the BMW is not one of them . It might not have quite the level of originality the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept displayed, but it’s still an impressive piece of design in its own right and a logical evolution of a set of ideas. Along with the Mini Rocketman, it illustrates the depth of talent within design at BMW right now. Hidden throughout the concept are a series of incredibly complex, yet ultimately quite background technology features, which we’ll explore in greater depth in a longer design review. For now though, here are some of our favourite detail elements of the car, and our flickr photo gallery.
Joe Simpson
It’s a cool looking concept and seems to build on a lot of ideas from Lowie Vermeersch (former head of design at Pininfarina):
1. vehicle to vehicle communication was already explored on the Sintesi concept.
2. again on the Sintesi, accentuating the occupants by having the door shut lines follow the contour of the people inside. the coloured light lines are a different interpretation for the same idea.
3. some elements of the Duettottanta concept are repeated here: a. the gap in the bodywork behind the headrests; b. the contour of the rear in side view.
Maybe you need some imagination to see the similarities, but I believe this concept isn’t as original as it may seem.
Hi Ryan, thanks for the comment. I can absolutely see where you’re coming from, though certainly the Duettottanta reference isn’t obvious straight away, because of the contrast in surface language. You have a point though, especially around the headrest area and rear deck. I guess one of the reasons I’m impressed with what BMW are doing is that although it’s still quite conceptual, all of the tech integration feels very ‘real’ and more believable than a lot of concepts in the past have done, even those from just two years ago. Perhaps that’s to do with the pace of change of technology, but also I think it’s how core it’s beginning to feel in the whole BMW brand message. The way they are communicating it, through design but also via the more traditional meaning of the word, is what impresses me most.