BMW quite recently has been releasing some atrocious-looking cars. From the controversial new M3 and M4 to the new even uglier iX electric SUV. However, none of these cars are as bad as the new BMW i Vision Circular concept car. It’s a small four-seater electric city car that can be recycled, and it’s set to be released in 2040. That’s 19 years away to be precise.
In the past, BMW has launched some absolutely jaw-dropping concept cars such as the 2002 Homage. However, these “cars of the future” type concepts from BMW are usually a joke. However, this recent concept just shows how bad BMW has got with design these days. I can bet that in a few year’s time, this will be the new “I3” model to rival the likes of the ID.3 VW and any other competitor equivalents.
The head of design for BMW is Domagoj Dukec, who previously designed the 2009 Citroen C5 (a very good-looking car may I add). He has also designed the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer which wasn’t a very good-looking car at all. He’s worked in the BMW design team for nine years now, so he certainly knows the brand somewhat inside and out.
There is no way in denying that he is a brave man. His designs are controversial and somewhat confusing. However, he acknowledges that “you can’t please everybody.” He makes a fair point, and for sure there are some people who do love the oversized grilles. They certainly do stand out and make the car much more of a head-turner.
He also stated that when he joined, companies outside the premium segment were trying much harder than BMW. He actually felt that these other manufacturers were five years ahead of BMW. He felt that every single new BMW coming out somewhat looked like the old one from select angles. He may have a point here.
BMW’s Biggest Issue.
When BMW launched the new G30 5-series back in 2017, every single piece of it was new. However, journalists very much said that it looked like the previous F10 model. The normal everyday person could probably not even tell the difference between the new and the old car. Of course, this meant that the previous F10 generation aged very well indeed.
The same thing happened with the G11 7-Series when launched. It pretty much looked like the previous F01 generation 7-Series despite the G11 being a completely different car. This of course is not a potential customer wants to hear, especially when some of these models are priced at well over $100,000.
The F30 3-Series sedan very much looked like the previous E90 3-Series sedan, despite it being a bigger car. This evolution process made people so much more used to the designs of these cars. They sort of just blended in within the car world and they weren’t really head turners.
Of course, BMW did make some great-looking cars during this period. Cars like the Z4 and some of the M-Cars looked incredible. The 4-series was also a pretty decent-looking car. However, in comparison to some of the other brands out there, BMW simply was not doing enough in the design world.
That’s a real shame, considering BMW was really good on the engineering side. They were sublime but the looks were just not justifying that at all. They were very much the typical German car brand. They were built well but they looked so boring.
The End Of “Playing It Safe.”
BMW for years as you may have noticed was playing it safe. Well, under Dukec at least, those days are gone. American and Chinese customers love the design of these cars since it stands out. These two countries are some of the biggest markets for BMW, hence why it’s so so important to cater to their needs. They just cannot sell average stuff these days.
The first car to get this treatment really was the G11 7-Series facelift. The massive grille was completely controversial (40% larger than the old car) but it made this car stand out massively. The grille would have fitted an SUV far better than a large sedan. The rest of the car was also pretty large. The lights were massive, the wheels were huge and the car had some great creases.
There were also the X7 and X5 models. The G05 X5 is a decent-looking car, and in my opinion, it was a nicer-looking car than the previous F15 X5. In the same year, the flagship X7 was launched, and that was very much an “American” looking car. Again, that was another decent-looking car.
Cars like the Z4 and 8-series were brilliant-looking cars. In fact, the current G29 Z4 is in my opinion the best-looking modern BMW ever. Sounds crazy right? It has the front of a Z8 and it looks exotic. I feel it is a properly underrated car and it truly is a better-looking car than the Porsche Boxster.
The G15 8-series was also a great looker. Far better than the previous F13 coupe 6-series model. The original E31 8-series was a cool car and it looked so sexy. Therefore, the G15 had to look incredible in order to live up to its predecessor. A true head-turner, this car was definitely “outside the box.”
Then Things Started To Get a Bit Weird
When the new G22 4-series was launched, everyone was a bit shocked. The car was far different from the previous 4-series, mainly due to its massive grille. The rest of the design was pretty wild too, and it is somewhat sexy from some angles. however, the front was awful and that is what has put off many BMW fans from this car.
BMW then launched the current G80 and G82 M3 and M4. The grille was again very controversial. It stretched vertically from top to the bottom of the bumper. It’s grown on me a little, but I would have preferred a smaller grille. However, these two cars are not the problem. Things get even worse when you go see their electric range.
The first electric cars from BMW I8 and I3 were very different. The I3 was very ugly, and the I8 was a beautiful-looking car that won the car of the year. These two cars are out of production now, but they were the first BMWs that really didn’t “play it safe” with design.
During the last few years, BMW has launched a few new electric cars, and most of them are awfully designed. The iX3 is a nice looker, but it is a tad dull. However, the latest iX SUV is an absolute laughing stock of a car and that’s when things become a little too much.
Then came the i4 and 4-series Gran Coupe sedan, and again that’s another car that looks strange. I personally feel BMW should have made a mini 8-series gran coupe design with these cars.