BMW opened Frankfurt with its Vision EfficientDynamics concept, a 2+2 seat plug-in hybrid sports car that set the overall tone for a show where green technology and low emissions were the dominant focus. At the heart of the car is a small, 3-cylinder turbodiesel engine, positioned directly in front of the rear axle and working in tandem with a spine of lithium-polymer batteries powering electric motors.
Led by Mario Majdanzic (exterior) and Jochen Paesen (interior) the design of the four-seat, 4.6m long, 1.24m high sports car is very powerful design proportionally, with asymmetric surfacing communicating emotion and minimalism in a futuristic way. The ‘layering' of surfaces is immediately apparent both inside and out: thin surfaces fit on top of one another, reducing total component count and overall vehicle weight.
The exterior design is particularly successful at the front, with a powerful DRG referencing the M1 Homage concept. Sinister-looking, deep-set twin lamps flank the kidney grille, whose insides are blanked off and backlit with blue - a color picked up on the rocker cover, A-pillars and elsewhere, in places highlighting channels to improve aero-efficiency. Large, leaf-shaped gullwing doors, hinging from aft of the front wheels, reveal more layering inside, with materials wrapping into and over one another on the driver-oriented IP and center ‘spine'. The presence of the latter is reinforced by the seat bases, extended on their inner edges to flow towards - but never touch - the central tunnel.
The concept was well received by many of the designers we spoke with on the show floor. BMW believes premium brand values, performance and sustainability can go hand in hand - judged by this concept, they might just be right. Post Chris Bangle, there's still a strong desire for experimental, visionary concept cars within the firm.
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