Hot! BMW Vision iNEXT

[Ozy]

I'd call them design details, which they are. My rule is that proportions can't be changed with a facelift, while design details can.

I think we misunderstood each other: regarding what they are I totally agree, individually obviously design details, but how they work together depends on their proportion to one another, that’s what I think doesn’t work in this case.

I like the i8, both the exterior and interior were a piece of art when they were first presented, they had a ready and working design language for electric vehicles which they don’t use - I honestly believed that even though I’m not a BMW fan, they gonna own the ev market in the future just because their designs are so good and bold. Unfortunately they didn’t keep themselves to it.
You can argue that the headlights are similar because they are sharp and straight - agree, but you can clearly see that how much the proportions between these design details make the difference between how the two cars are perceived.

For example the G05 got a larger grill, but luckily they made narrower and separate headlights, which are not that long, this makes the front of the car look very good. The X7 is more controversial but the headlights are not that sharp, so it’s still a cohesive design. Here they tried to combine different BMW i elements just for the sake of making it clearly an electric car, but these priorities messed up the result.

I also don’t get why copy Mercedes’ old design with the dual screen, they had a nice interior in the i8, they could scale that very easily.

 

[SCOTT27]

It's not a dual screen. It's one full curved screen to serve the instruments and the iDrive functions. It's not what Mercedes do with two individual screens.

 

[MrRapp]

People tend to overlook that prototypes do not represent the final product in terms of quality and look-and-feel. Guess the actual production car will feature a screen similar to i4 Concept which actually looks fantastic in my view. Just hope that some physical buttons remain as I don’t want to have to go through all kinds of menus to put on the radio or turn on the seat heating. I know voice control also does that but I always feel a bit like an idiot talking to my car.

 

[klier]

Guess the actual production car will feature a screen similar to i4 Concept which actually looks fantastic in my view.

One big curved screen floating above the dash on a nice aluminium stand will indeed look fantastic, and I am all for it.

 

[SCOTT27]

One big curved screen floating above the dash on a nice aluminium stand will indeed look fantastic, and I am all for it.

Yes. But if we look at levels of specification. It is highly probable that you will get a base version with smaller diameter screen right up to full wide screen.
Which in base specification will probably look similar and just as bad as the Mercedes option.
a small screen in a sea of black lacquer.

 

[MrRapp]

Actually understood that the iNext will be presented towards the end of this year. Does that mean that it will be presented ahead of i4?

 

[JPATT93]

One big curved screen floating above the dash on a nice aluminium stand will indeed look fantastic, and I am all for it.

Mercedes has already been here and does this, and is now moving on to their next thing with infotainment layout in the S-Class. I'm sure it will look fine but I would expect something more progressive in something that has been branded as "Next."

 

[SCOTT27]

Mercedes has already been here and does this, and is now moving on to their next thing with infotainment layout in the S-Class. I'm sure it will look fine but I would expect something more progressive in something that has been branded as "Next."

They haven’t done a curved screen though which is the next step for the freestanding monitor found in current BMW’s. utilising the curved screen adds more panache and luxury feel to the cabin. Plus it’s something new for the industry.

 

[Ozy]

They haven’t done a curved screen though which is the next step for the freestanding monitor found in current BMW’s. utilising the curved screen adds more panache and luxury feel to the cabin. Plus it’s something new for the industry.

Technically it’s curved, but it’s not that curved that you can see the whole idea is far from what Mercedes did. That small curvature is negligible.

Mercedes in the new S kept the flat instrument panel but they worked on the software so when you look at it has depth, it is 3D, you can’t get this even with a curved screen.

I’m just curious what will be the reaction of those BMW fanboys who hated on the Mercedes instrument panel since 2013, now that it will used in practically all new BMW’s

 

[MrRapp]

This particular BMW fanboy never disliked the execution with Mercedes so looking forward to how BMW deals with that as it adresses the driver oriented dashboards of the past.
Only execution I don’t like is with Tesla, Audi and to a lesser extent Volvo in the sense that some physical buttons should remain for easy access without having to go through menus which is nothing less than dangerous when driving.

 

[JPATT93]

This would mean Cadillac is already onto this "next step." BMW following the footsteps of Cadillac? Jesus is surely coming back soon!

They haven’t done a curved screen though which is the next step for the freestanding monitor found in current BMWs. Utilizing the curved screen adds more panache and luxury feel to the cabin. Plus it’s something new for the industry.

 

[SCOTT27]

Mercedes hasn’t.

 

[JPATT93]

Mercedes hasn’t.

Okay. Not sure if that makes it better or worse that Mercedes has not done a "curved" panel but Cadillac has. My point is that BMW is not leading in this regard.

 

[dalab]

Okay. Not sure if that makes it better or worse that Mercedes has not done a "curved" panel but Cadillac has. My point is that BMW is not leading in this regard.

I only see two screens (three separate displays each from each other actually), which are creatively overlaid to look like a curved overall scheme when it is clearly appreciated that none of the three is curved

It does not seem to me that it has much to do with the iNEXT which is a single really curved display

 

[MrRapp]

The curved OLED you are referring to in the Escalade is actually supplied by LG and does consist of 3 individual screens which is probably cheaper to produce.

 

[SCOTT27]

Ah But the BMW one curvessss like a Cobra. However no one can hold a candle to our IMAX sssscreens on Cobra Island

 

[mini_cooper4]

Scott have you got any new information on whether the iNext will be brilliant or simply spectacular?

 

[bmwblog]

So reportedly it will be called just iX? Not iX6/iX7/iX8, which would have made much more sense from a lineup hierarchy and clarity perspective, especially for customers trying to make out the rapidly growing offer on the market.

I get it that this vehicle is temporarily meant to be THE flagship BMWi, at least the flagship BMWi SUV, with a design language and visible tech that are self-explanatory and may not need a particular label to set it clearly above all other present and impending BMWi models. However BMW will eventually and necessarily make an even larger and more upmarket BMWi SUV over time - think all-electric X7 - where the iX or its successor will no longer be THE flagship BMWi SUV. So they may as well call the iX iX6 or iX7 to make an impactful statement that this is indeed the flagship, even though its successor may later be 'downgraded' to iX5 to make room for a larger model?

Same issue with the Audi 'just e-tron quattro' which doesn't say anything about it being THE flagship Audi e-tron SUV, and which will soon be awkwardly lost within the Audi e-tron nomenclature alongside the Q4 e-tron, Q6 e-tron, etc.

There will be some numbers after the iX, like iXxx

 

[Ozy]

Scott have you got any new information on whether the iNext will be brilliant or simply spectacular?

I think you have been the victim of some faulty propaganda or fake news, no one said it will be brilliant or spectacular, no chance

 

[mini_cooper4]

I think you have been the victim of some faulty propaganda or fake news, no one said it will be brilliant or spectacular, no chance

But it has been confirmed numerous times by BMW fans that it will be out of this world.