Customers love the new look, Henrich added, and his team takes the feedback it gets from buyers seriously. The Vision iNext concept introduced in 2018 is well on its way to production, for example, but it won’t reach showrooms with the open, one-kidney grille seen on the concept. Designers initially deleted the separation between the two parts of the grille to make space for the armada of sensors required for semi-autonomous driving features, but they concluded the crossover no longer looked like a BMW. “We spent the money to have sensors that can see through the chrome,” BMW head of design Domagoj Dukec revealed to Autocar.
While the idea that electric cars don’t need cooling air is a myth, it’s true that they require less of it than a comparable gasoline- or diesel-powered model, so it stands to reason they can get by with a smaller grille. The iNext argues that’s not the case, and getting rid of the kidney grilles altogether is out of the question, Autoblog learned from BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk in 2018.
He told us his team considered launching the i3 with a sleeker, more electric car-like front end that would have marked a clean break from BMW’s design language. Stylists ended up putting the grille back on because it’s such a significant part of the company’s identity. Without it, the i3 wouldn’t be easily recognizable as a BMW. And, ultimately, that’s one of the most powerful marketing tools in the firm’s arsenal. Disputably (and suddenly) making it jumbo-sized drives that point home.
BMW customers, and potential customers, is Henrich right? Is this the look you’re demanding? Add your comments below.
Related Video: