On April 20, 2022, the BMW brand held the world launch ceremony of the new BMW 7 Series, the innovative BMW i7 and the new BMW X7 models in Beijing, and after the launch of the new BMW 7 Series, 58 Automotive conducted an online interview with Duke, the head of BMW brand design of bmw group, to explain the development concept and innovative design of the new BMW 7 Series.
Duke, head of brand design at BMW Group
The following is a transcript of the interview:
Q: The design of the new BMW 7 Series is bold, the most impressive of which is the design of the BMW Crystal Daytime Running Lights and the near and far lights. Can you use a phrase to describe the design of the new 7 Series?
A: If you define the style of each car in one word, the BMW iX will be the "future", and the innovative all-electric BMW i7 and the new 7 Series should be the word "privilege". We hope that through the design of this car, our customers will feel that they have achieved their wishes. Because the users of this car want to be able to enjoy exclusive and unique luxury, while being able to enjoy their important moments. So we want to be able to give our customers that sense of honor and get what they want.
Q: As the flagship model, the new BMW 7 Series needs to show a sense of majesty and solemnity. Sport is BMW's DNA, pure driving pleasure, and as a luxury brand, it also needs to show elegance and give a sense of quiet. So majesty, movement, elegance, the three dimensions, how to choose and balance? What are the principles?
A: When designing, compromise is not a good choice, and there is no need to make trade-offs. The BMW brand likes to find solutions to contradictions, such as the previous commitment to combining efficient power and dynamic performance, and now the commitment to luxury and sustainability.
We embody the "people-oriented" luxury honor at the level of large luxury cars through a bold, majestic appearance. The elegance is more reflected in the interior, such as seeing a lot of exquisite light and shadow, and a large number of fine materials such as wood, cashmere, leather and so on. Dynamics are reflected in driving performance, driving experience and human-computer interaction.
But it does not mean that the appearance only reflects the sense of solemnity, but the appearance and interior reflect different aspects, such as the appearance of many details to show the dynamic, elegant, this level of appearance more reflects the bold design and extraordinary momentum.
New BMW 7 Series
Q: While electrification and intelligence bring breakthroughs, there is also an unrestrained and excessive use of technology, how can BMW balance these problems? What is the direction of the innovation breakthrough, and has some necessary restraint been made?
A: Electrification and digitization open up a new world, just like opening Pandora's box. But we are a century-old car company with 120,000 employees and 31 factories. We have to take responsibility for our employees, our brand history, and our large fan base. Our job is to push the brand forward with the times, but also to be persistent and not abandon the fans. Therefore, while we are electrified and intelligent, we insist on inheriting BMW's iconic characteristics and inheriting iconic brand values. That's bmw's spirit of innovation, and that's one of the reasons people love us.
Of course, there are also many issues to be taken into account, such as how to ensure high quality, but also to reflect the aesthetic pursuit, but also to bring BMW pure driving pleasure. We hope that while embracing the many opportunities brought by the new era, we will not lose ourselves and can continue to strengthen the brand characteristics accumulated over the past century.
Innovative BMW i7
Q: We will see that many cars are designed to conform to the current preferences of users, and there are also some cars that are trying more avant-garde designs, which will cause some controversy and discussion at present, but will be accepted after a period of time. The disruptive design style of the previous M3/M4 oversized front grille and the new 7 Series we see today look clearly different from the current market common style. Do you think BMW's designs will remain in this avant-garde style now and for years to come?
A: Design and psychology and concepts are closely related. Everyone and every customer subconsciously thinks about how others will look after buying a car, like it or not. If the design of this car is more familiar, the psychology will be more comfortable, and you don't have to worry about others pointing fingers. And if this car is more avant-garde, you may worry about whether others like it or not after the car is driven out. This psychological effect will affect many aspects, especially when buying a car, such an expensive thing, the purchase decision will be more cautious.
This is just the first impression and first feeling when it was just listed. People's feelings will continue to change, after a period of time on the market, seeing others also drive this car, the original strange and cutting-edge things become familiar. This is a psychological and conceptual law.
But a luxury brand is to innovate design and lead the trend, not to follow others. Luxury brands are meant to be market leaders and need to take risks. When we design and take risks, we also understand everyone's psychological effects. Just going public, feedback on social media may not be so positive. But the replacement cycle of a car is 7 years, 3 or 4 years later, the car has become the leader in the market, everyone will have different ideas, but also realize that it is its outstanding design, unique selling points, creating its leading position in the market, only to prove that this car is a pure 7 series and not other brands.
New BMW 7 Series
Innovative BMW i7
Q: The design of the new BMW 7 Series is subversive, and anything that is subversive will not be smooth sailing. What are some of the biggest choices you've made in the process of disruption? At the same time, in the last decade, competitors and BMW design concepts have a strong family design. But in the new decade, after 2020, BMW took the lead in making the family captain look different, the previous generation of 7 Series, 4 Series, M3 and M4 are very different, and now it has launched a new 7 Series that is even more different. But competitors have not particularly actively followed the pace of BMW in the past decade, how do you see the difference in design concept between BMW and the main competitors?
A: In the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s, BMW's 3 series, 5 series, and 7 series designs were similar, with a strong familial design.
We focus on the real needs of the customer, whether he wants the smaller 7 Series or something else. Different types of customers and different levels of the market have different needs, which can be seen from market research. For example, the X3 and X7 experiences and car scenes are completely different. The car use scenarios, age, financial resources or occupations of 7 series users are different. The product experience that 7 Series customers want is not the same as the sporty sense pursued by M2 customers. But no matter which product it is, we want to bring BMW joy to our customers, make them feel that this car is what they want, so that he can get what he wants. What we pursue is not to imitate a higher-level model for each car, but to miniaturize, but to reflect the design essence of this car and this type of car through the different design of each car.
Today, every customer knows what they want and what they expect from it. For example, in China, some people just take the driver's license and directly buy the 7 series, and others want to buy luxury cars, but they don't want to be so big, they will start from the 1 series, and there are various situations.
When we do design, we don't want to zoom in or out, we want to do people-oriented design. We listen to what different types of owners want and decide how to achieve it through the design language. The same is true of the new 7 Series, which reflects the pursuit of "privilege" by owners of this class. While the 5 Series is a different need, it may accentuate the sense of elegance. Every car is designed to meet the needs of customers, not to change for the sake of change. The 7 Series offers the possibility of pursuing bolder designs, and owners have spent so much money trying to buy this level of car, hoping to get value for money and express their outstanding taste.
New BMW 7 Series
Innovative BMW i7
Q: How many versions of the design will your team produce before final mass production of the new 7 Series, and how long will the entire design process last? What was the biggest difficulty in designing the new 7 Series? What is your favorite spot about the new 7 Series?
A: The design process for the new 7 Series is the same as for all other BMW models, and the early stage of research began about 4 or 5 years ago to determine what values to convey, to study and interact with major markets to determine its type, which was the initiation stage of the entire design process.
After that, as with all models, I made a concept car in-house. The design of this car is very innovative, and the design idea is fully expressed through a concept car. After that, there will be some changes, modifications, to feel what kind of different feelings it will have. After that, we must start to consider the feasibility of designing and producing it. To ensure reliability and quality. The new BMW 7 Series is sold globally, making it a bit more difficult than in a single market. Every country has different regulations, and BMW has to comply in every market.
Whether it is the top of the large luxury car or the entry-level car, the design process is the same, and the details of each car are constantly refined and polished, not because this is a large luxury car.
As for my own favorite, I really like the bold, avant-garde look of this car. Because this is our flagship model, the management including the board of directors, etc., hopes to avoid too much risk on such a heavyweight model. Yet we took the risk and boldly declared our design claims. We hope that through such a bold design, more customers will be brought into the luxury of large luxury cars.
In addition to the exterior, we also really like its interior, not only with leather, but also with cashmere as the top expression of luxury. Everyone may think that cashmere is not as clean as leather, and they can't understand its value for a while. However, in a luxury hotel, the most luxurious experience may not be a leather sofa, but a high-grade fabric. It's also an innovative initiative that I really like.
Innovative BMW i7 interior
Q: There has been a significant change in the rear entertainment system of the vehicle, and the new BMW 7 Series is the first model of the BMW brand to feature a BMW suspension giant screen. What are the considerations for this design and what are the difficulties? What are its core competencies in design compared to its competitors?
A: Whether it is the Chinese or German market, competitors always exert their power on the front-row entertainment system, and the screen is very large, even throughout the entire front row. In the next few years, artificial intelligence and autonomous driving will not completely replace the role of the driver, many scenarios will also require manual driving, and front passengers also need to have their own entertainment functions. On this basis, we also paid attention to the demand for entertainment systems for rear passengers in this class of models, and this demand requires a large screen to achieve. The new BMW 7 Series is longer and has a longer wheelbase than the previous generation of long-wheelbase models, providing ample space for a large screen. With a BMW suspended giant screen and armrest touch screens on the doors, we create a comfortable, spacious, individual and interactive space for rear passengers.
In addition, you can see that the armrest touch screen on the door panel integrates a lot of functions, which can ensure the exclusive function of the rear passengers. The 31-inch BMW floating giant screen can stream through 5G, partner with Amazon Fire TV in other countries, and also work with local suppliers in China to provide rich entertainment content. With this large screen, we have created a unique "BMW Mobile Private Cinema" in the market. Not only is the screen large, but it can also be folded to the roof while ensuring safety, which is not easy to achieve. However, BMW has a very strong design strength, which not only ensures product safety, but also provides a very good experience for rear passengers, creating a strong rear entertainment space.
Q: 7 Series consumers in different markets vary greatly in age. What kind of concept does the innovative design of the new 7 Series convey to consumers while adapting to different markets? Compared to competitors, what is the reason for consumers to choose the new BMW 7 Series?
A: It's always been a big challenge. A model must meet the needs of chinese customers, but also meet the needs of consumers in the European and American markets. Markets do differ, but they are not entirely different. As you can see, the same is true of competitors, as well as big-name luxury goods, and the same product is selling well all over the world. On the one hand, thanks to BMW's brand reputation. In addition, BMW is committed to meeting the differentiated and individual needs of its customers.
To see what market needs have in common. For example, for the 7 Series, the volume is just as attractive to young and older customers.
There are also some preferences that change with age, and this one also needs to be considered. For example, some age groups pursue self-expression and personality expression, and some pursue elegance, harmony and so on. We have to consider that there are some customized functions and configurations in the model, or provide different subdivisions to meet the needs of users of different grades, which is the right to choose. We hope to meet the customized needs of customers and the needs of different markets through a variety of configurations.
At the same time, there must be differentiation between them and competitors. BMW adheres to customer centricity and focuses on meeting customer needs. We have colleagues who are researching the market in China and those who are doing design in Shanghai, listening to the voices of customers and working together to find the best solution in this global model. Among them, the use of digitalization to create differentiated experiences for different markets is an important means. It's a challenge, but we'll find a solution to make this product meet the needs of the global market.
Innovative BMW i7 interior
Q: The Chinese sales of the 7 Series account for nearly half of the global sales, and China is a very important market for the 7 Series, both in the past and in the future. What designs on the new BMW 7 Series are sourced from the needs of the Chinese market?
A: When we design our products, we focus on the overall market demand and hope to bring users an immersive, holistic experience. When looking at a car, everyone must first notice its appearance. This time we offer BMW Crystal Daytime Running Lights and BMW Ring Flare Grilles, both of which are very innovative designs. We wanted to embody the dignity and exclusivity of this class of models with an iconic, exclusive design, while at the same time wanting it to be elegant, atmospheric, and even look unique at night, which we wanted to express. We are not only pursuing boldness in design, such as the sparkling BMW crystal daytime running lights, which are popular with Chinese and foreign customers.
We extensively investigated the needs of the Chinese market. For example, through the BMW floating giant screen and rear entertainment system, it provides Excellent in-car entertainment experience for Chinese users. Another highlight to introduce to you is the BMW surround interactive light belt, which integrates a lot of function buttons while designing bold and avant-garde, which looks like jewelry and can achieve interactive functions. These are very eye-catching designs, which are very much in line with Asian cultural preferences. Many of the artistic techniques used in the new BMW 7 Series are both artistic, highly technological and innovative, and are suitable for both China and the Western market.
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