schneiderism

The above image is the Vela concept that came out of a partnership between BMW and the Transportation Design School IED in Turin, a city that continues to embody its position as a design epicenter. BMW asked students there to design what BMW’s might be like in 2015 consistent with BMW’s “language evolution and trademark essence.” This simple brief resulted in a very interesting and creative response by the students, like the Vela pictured above and the ZX-6 concept pictured here:

Pretty wild. 2015 is only seven short years away and while these concepts may be unrealistically radical BMW is smart to take advantage of the way the students at IED are thinking to look for innovative design opportunities. It’s hard to say what cars may look like in seven years. If you think back to seven years ago today cars are not really that different at all. Still, much can happen to change our expectations of what an automobile is in this short time.

More at car body design.

Chris Bangle is the sometimes controversial head of the global BMW Design Group, and he has worked tirelessly to move automobile design at BMW to a place where it can respond to both the demand for innovation and the needs of the user. He has put together a dream team of designers, engineers, and thinkers who challenge every convention of what an automobile is and how we use it. The most recent work from this team is the GINA Light Visionary Model pictured above. At the most base level, this dramatically effects the look of automobile design. At it’s most complex, it completely changes our relationship to this mode of transportation and brings out a level of emotion that I, personally, have not experienced in a very, very long time. I encourage you to watch this video presentation of the concept if you have any interest in the future of automobile design:

As far as I am concerned, GINA nails it by creating a seamless connection between form and function, by challenging every convention of automobile design, and by FINALLY bringing materials innovation to a point of influence that is beyond the shallowness of style. It is:

“Context over dogma.”

Chris Bangle - Head of BMW Design Group

Much more on this at Winding Road, perhaps the best automotive blog I have yet experienced.