After BMW launched the new generation of the 7 Series, it sparked a lot of discussion in the automotive circle. What is the thinking behind the seemingly deviant design? Domagoj Dukec, BMW's Director of Brand Design, answered our questions specifically:
We've been trying to interpret what BMW's flagship model should look like? What should be special? It just so happens that this generation (G70) has both a gasoline version of the 7 Series and an electric version of the i7. For the i7, this is the world's first all-electric D-class luxury sedan, very special. So we have adopted a very special design approach, on the one hand, to distinguish it from competitors, on the other hand, it must also be different from other models in our own family.
About split headlights
Many people will say that the design of the split headlights is imitation, but I don't think so - because we can't be the first inventor of everything. In fact, the starting point of our thinking is how to do the details more in the large luxury car of BMW.
Specific to the design of the headlights, in fact, the lights have many functions, including day lights, turn signals, low beam /high beam lights, etc. The most common design is to integrate these functional parts into a single unit. Designers don't have much room to play with components for night lighting, but daytime and turn signals do. Therefore, if the day running light and the turn signal are separated, then there can be more play at the design level.
What is luxury? If you take an analogy, it's like a great villa where you'll have two kitchens, one for cooking and the other just for shows — and that's what the new 7 Series lights are. The daytime lamp on it is used for display, and it also uses Swarovski's crystal material in a very exaggerated way. In this way, we designers have a lot of freedom, and we can design it very finely and modernly. The headlights for night lighting are placed lower, and this area belongs to the functional area. In addition to headlights, there are also aerodynamic kits, various sensors, etc.
About China Net
The position of the double kidney type mid-mesh is indeed higher than that of the previous model, mainly because the new 7 series has become taller overall, because the problem of installing batteries at the bottom of the body should be considered. Fortunately, in this generation of the 7 series, there is only one version of the extended wheelbase, so the overall proportion will not look elongated, and the overall sense of movement will be stronger.
Because the overall body has become heavier, the central network does not even look as big as the mid-term redesign of the previous model (G12). Some people will also ask why not use the iX kind of fully enclosed middle network? The reason is simple , too — because the iX is only available in all-electric models. Mainstream models like the 7 Series, before the New Class launched, needed a dual version of the oil and electricity. Therefore, the design of the network should consider the necessary ventilation function of the oil truck. We must also follow a principle in our design, that is, the difference in power system should not affect the user experience - like the previous gasoline car and diesel car are also using the same design, so the same should be true for oil cars and trams.
As for why the edge of the middle net should be lit up? That's because at night, after the headlights are on, the daytime lights can't provide enough recognition. The double kidney type middle net is originally the logo of BMW, and we hope that people can recognize that it is a BMW that is driving on the opposite side from a distance, so the edge of the huge double kidney type middle net is lit up with a circle of light belt. At this time, if you look at it from the front, the lit day running lights and the double kidney type middle net together constitute the core part of the front face, which is extremely recognizable. In the future, all BMWs will adopt this design that lights up the contours of the central mesh – except, of course, models like the X6 and X7 that can light up the entire central mesh – and this design will be more recognizable than the so-called front-through LED strips now.
About the side of the car
The all-new 7 Series is taller, nearly 50mm taller than the old model, and features larger rims, so the overall look is very confident.
Many people say that the side of the new 7 Series has some Rolls-Royce flavor, but in fact, in terms of proportions, we still try to distinguish it from Rolls-Royce as much as possible. In contrast, the side lines of the new 7 Series are softer, more fluid, and even have a somewhat romantic flavor. Again, its side is actually very simple, this is because BMW wants its design to be more timeless and more classic. Since it is timeless and classic, it is impossible to add too many so-called fashionable lines. Just like the iPhone, the shape has basically not changed since its birth.
Of course, there are still many highlights in the details of the body side. For example, Huo's bends are made of a whole piece of metal, directly mounted on the body, and its processing technology is more refined.
About the rear of the car
The taillights of the new 7 Series are cleverly designed, not covering the housing, nor using too many decorative parts, but exposing the LED light group directly. More importantly, the through-line taillights used in the mid-term redesign of the previous model were also abandoned, because too many models were adopting this design, and this time it simply returned to the split type.
The tail markers have also changed, with letters or numbers representing the car series being placed independently – say i7, or become larger in size – such as 760.
About the roof screen
The giant screen provided for the 7 series this time has also become a focus of discussion. The reason for this design, we consider it this way: now everyone is trying to provide drivers with a variety of large screens, but drivers can't use it when driving. On the contrary, the rear passengers need a similar configuration. In terms of visual effects, this 31-inch large screen is much better than the small screen placed on the back of the front seat back.
There are also many people who will worry about whether the driver's backward vision will be blocked when the big screen is lowered. In fact, the large screen does not completely block the field of vision, and the driver can still observe the road conditions at the rear of the car through the remaining tail window area. Moreover, the car is also equipped with a lot of cameras and assisted driving functions, which can help drivers drive safely.
The small 5.5-inch screen on the door, which we call Door-Pad, allows two passengers in the rear to operate the function at the same time, unlike the old models that only provide a small Pad, which cannot meet the needs of simultaneous operation.
Apparently, the design of the new 7 Series, which has just been unveiled, is controversial. But it was all to Duke's surprise. He said that according to user survey data, about 2/3 of consumers need an elegant, harmonious and aesthetic model, so the 3 series and 5 series are to meet the needs of these users. And what about the remaining 1/3 of the customers? They want to be more different. How to meet their more extreme needs? That's the mission of the 4 Series and the New 7 Series.
"If you look at the 4 Series alone, it was originally a more sporty 3 Series. But then we found out that the customers of the 4 Series were not the average customer — they wanted a more outrageous model, and they were willing to pay more for this spiritual need to show their specialness. ”
This statement was echoed by Adrian van Hooydonk, bmw's vice president of design: "I think good design should be accepted, but the concept of beauty can be polarized." Now back to the consumer issue, if there is a group of consumers who want a beautiful and timeless car, then of course we will design one for them. But there are also customers who want a car like the X6, and all they want is polarization — hate to death, love to die. For such a demand, the 3 series, 5 series such a volume of models obviously can not meet. So you can't hit the world with one design. “