Official Release:
Munich. Exclusive insights into the design philosophy and development strategy of BMW are the central focus of an unusual media event at the home of the brand in Munich. At the BMW Design Night on July 21st 2010, selected media representatives will have the opportunity to take an intensive look at the fundamental principles and pioneering concepts of future automobile design. The speakers and dialogue partners presenting the event at BMW Welt in Munich are Dr. Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of BMW AG, Development and Adrian van Hooydonk, Director BMW Group Design.
Update: You can see live photos of the concept at the Chinese site feelcars.com.
Like the CS concept three years ago, BMW is introducing a entirely new concept around an entirely new market. And like the CS they’ve managed to keep it entirely secret. The Gran Coupé is BMW’s take on the four door coupé and one that foreshadows a 6 Series based four door. It’s also the next step in BMW’s design language following the stunning CS.
As we’ve reported previously BMW will be debuting the next generation 6 Series in late 2011 bring the car to market in 2012. However where things will get interesting a few years later with the launch of the production version of the Gran Coupé. We believe the four door will be marketed as a 6 Series GT (Gran Turismo) and sold at a price point above the current 5 series coming close to 7 series territory. Of course any of this could change as we saw with the CS concept but as it stands now the Gran Coupé is a product that we’ll likely see in production form in just a few years.
Official Release: With an exclusive Design Night on the evening of the first press day at Auto China in Beijing (April 23rd to May 2nd 2010), BMW provides an in-depth insight into its design philosophy and development strategy. The program of the BMW Design Night is modular in structure and presents extensive background information on the premium automobile manufacturer’s innovative design culture. In addition to highlighting the long versions of the BMW 5 Series developed specially for the Chinese market, the main focus is on an elegant 4-door vehicle with striking dynamic proportions: the BMW Concept Gran Coupé.
Recently BMW Technik celebrated its 25th anniversary by rolling out a few rarely seen concepts and one that has (up until now) only been rumored, the Z29. The two door coupe is the very concept that several publications reported on around the 2000 time-frame. At the time there was talk of a small two door concept with liberal use of carbon fiber and innovative use of reinforced plastics deep within the confines of BMW’s Munich HQ. That was this car and this is it’s story.
The Z29 never reached production but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the most important BMW’s of the past 15 years. The ideas, engineering and design technics have informed many BMW product since (and some we haven’t seen yet).
The key stat of the Z29 was clearly the weight. At 2560 pounds the Z29 had a staggering power to weight ratio of 7.46 hp/lbs. That of course is thanks to the S54 E46 M3 inline six under the hood producing 343 hp. That ratio is not only dramatically more than any other BMW currently in production but on the level of some supercars.
BMW’s Vision concept car continues to rack-up the accolades. The Louis Vuitton Classic Awards jury has given the car its namesake award for 2010. It’s a highly regarded honor and an important one considering the design language seen in the concept will inform BMWs for years to come.
Official Release: The concept car BMW Vision EfficientDynamics – star of the international automobile show IAA in Frankfurt 2009 – has won the Louis Vuitton Classic Award. At an evening gala in BMW Welt the chairman of the Louis Vuitton Classic Awards jury, Christian Philippsen, presented the award to Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design. The prize for the best classic automobile restored true to the original went to Jon Shirley for his Alfa Romeo C2900 B Touring Berlinetta of 1938, which last year won the Trofeo BMW Group at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este by Lake Como.
It seemed plausible at the time of release but now we’re starting to see some real confirmation that BMW will be going ahead with production of the Vision concept car that debuted in Frankfurt. The car was not only a concept in regards to design but also drivetrain. Sources told us at the time that BMW was actually creating a drive-able 3 cylinder diesel hybrid that did produce the numbers given at the time of release. Typically an automaker only goes to that kind of expense when there is a real chance of production on the horizon. That’s where we pick up the story from Insideline. Here’s an excerpt from their report:
Our executive source goes on to say that total volume is being debated, but that it will fall between 5,000 and 10,000 units. The prototype’s powertrain and basic sub-3,000-pound assembly will remain intact, but, says the source, “there will be less of the synthetic glass and more solid structure added to the final design.” Uh-oh. We know why these alterations are needed, but does this mean it’s going to migrate toward being a sort of sleek Toyota Prius? Let’s hope not.
When we asked if this could finally be BMW’s second true production supercar after the Giugiaro M1, the response was a firm “quite probably.” So maybe our Prius/Honda Insight fears are overreaching. It’d be nice to maintain that 0.22 drag coefficient and the hellacious looks.
IL went on to mention that a real world test in the south of France would be happening for a few publications later this summer. Oh and those Prius fears? Obviously those of us who are close to BMW and it’s products know better. Based on what we’ve been told this car will redefine the term hybrid.
Official Release: The Los Angeles Auto Show will be the site of three North American vehicle debuts for BMW. The BMW ActiveHybrid X6, which combines the Sport Activity Coupe concept with full hybrid drive to create the world’s most powerful hybrid passenger vehicle, and the all-new BMW ActiveHybrid 7, the first sport luxury sedan featuring BMW ActiveHybrid technology, will be on display. The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car will also make its first public showing in the US as well.
While we have covered the Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept at great length here at BimmerFile we have not had the chance to get up close and personal with it, until now. We recently attended a private showing of the car before its trip to LA for the auto show.
While not anticipated to be introduced as a single production model the Vision is said to showcase future drivetrain, efficiency techniques and design language that will be used in production models. This revolutionary concept is designed with the intent of being powered by 2 electric motors and a three-cylinder diesel engine to produce 356 hp and 590 lb-ft. It would rocket the car from 0-60 in 4.8 seconds while achieving almost 63 miles per gallon.
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: Concept, Design Jul 21st, 2010 No Comments 
