BMW Vision M NEXT – A statement for the driver

The exterior design clearly conveys the brand’s mission statement with its sports-car proportions and the clarity of its surface contouring, which is given added visual impact by bold colour contrasts. The high-class yet minimalist interior revolves around the fully-engaged driver. Digital intelligence provides the driver with useful assistance and enables them to hone their driving style further.

The EASE and BOOST experiences are underpinned by the building blocks for the future of the BMW Group, comprising the innovation areas of Autonomous driving, Connectivity, Electrification and Services (ACES). The vehicle’s design lends these areas visual expression and makes the underlying technology something you can engage with (D+ACES). In 2018, the BMW Vision iNEXT showcased the modular system’s potential for EASE mode. And now the BMW Vision M NEXT highlights how D+ACES is able to enhance the pleasure of sporty driving as well.

Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design said:

“The BMW Vision M NEXT provides a glimpse into the future of sporty driving. Whereas the BMW Vision iNEXT illustrated how autonomous driving is set to transform life on board vehicles, the BMW Vision M NEXT demonstrates how state-of-the-art technology can also make the experience of driving yourself purer and more emotionally engaging. In both models, the focus is placed firmly on the people inside. Design and technology make the EASE and BOOST experiences more natural and more intense.”

The Front
The front end’s graphic partitioning immediately catches the eye. The protruding kidney grille is flanked on either side by triangular elements in Thrilling Orange, which serve to accentuate the air intakes at the sides and the integral headlights. Taut surfaces arch back over the bonnet from the kidney grille like powerful muscles.

The soft outer edges of the BMW kidney grille are reminiscent of a turbine’s air intake. The colour gradient used for the inside of the two kidney elements emphasises the impression of depth. The kidney grille is blanked off by transparent layers, which on closer inspection reveal an illuminated, laser-etched pattern with a sense of weightlessness. Inspired by the basic geometric shape of BMW logos, the pattern becomes more compressed around its central axis, accentuating the car’s forward-surging impression.  

The BMW Vision BOOST headlights are positioned on the outer edges above the kidney grille. The light units’ design incorporates Laser Wire lighting technology for the first time on a BMW. Glass fibres coated with phosphorous are used to produce a new, super-slim and extremely precise interpretation of BMW’s signature four-eyed front end. Instead of being positioned side by side, the two headlight elements are arranged vertically and mark the uppermost point of the two orange Air Blades that sweep towards the middle of the car’s nose from the sides. Their graphic form, based on a triangular shape, underlines the modernity of the front end and combines with the blade-shaped air intake below the kidney grille to create a clear racing aesthetic.

THE SIDE
The low-slung, wedge-shaped sports-car silhouette, the rise of its flank lines up towards the rear and the diagonal orange-shaded colour separator endow the BMW Vision M NEXT with an innate sense of forward-surging power. The black side skirts made from recycled carbon make the car look as if it is sitting even lower on the road while emphasising its sporty proportions.

Instead of being sculpted by the window graphic in typical BMW fashion, the iconic Hofmeister kink on the BMW Vision M NEXT is traced by a line along the powerfully contoured shoulders. The design is broken up by a gill-like aperture that narrows as it sweeps back from the window surface towards the tail, giving the car a more elongated appearance.

Precisely engineered gaps in the wheels’ intricate, three-dimensional multi-spoke design result in low weight, maximum rigidity and reduced air resistance and so optimise the transfer of power to the road. The spokes’ open, three-dimensional architecture maximises thermal cooling of the large brake discs at the front, while inserts optimise aero efficiency at the rear.  The rear wheels on the BMW Vision M NEXT measure 22 inches in diameter, making them one inch larger than the front wheels (21 inches) and further emphasising the car’s wedge-shaped appearance.

A second, closer look reveals another highlight in the form of the Air Flow. This opening located just in front of the rear wheels is designed to carefully channel the airflow towards the rear end in a way that further improves the car’s  aerodynamic performance.

REAR
The extremely precise rear lights feature the same Laser Wire technology used for the headlights at the front. A single, ultra-thin glass fibre on each side is fashioned to look like an abstract ECG trace of a heartbeat.

The rear light units continue with a sweeping flourish that frames the rear end and brings its sporty width to the fore. The way in which the distinctive twin roundel badging from the BMW Turbo has been reinterpreted and incorporated into the transparent lenses of both rear lights in two-dimensional form adds a further eye-catching touch. The phosphor-coated prints create the impression that the logos are also floating freely in the vehicle’s rear.