BMW
By now, you’ve probably seen the BMW Vision iNext concept following a photo leak before its official debut. The time has come to share details about why exactly the Vision iNext exists.
BMW made its plan quite plain and simple. The company is putting all of its efforts forward, pushing beyond its own boundaries in an ambitious attempt to become the next biggest thing in the automotive industry. It’s moving towards mass-market electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
To do that, you need cars to sell. And before you make cars to sell, like any entity in the business of selling goods, you have to test the market to see if your ambitions are going to work with the buying public. And that’s exactly what the Vision iNext is in BMW’s case: to test the waters.
BMW
Back in 2011, BMW introduced what we know as its i sub-brand, the company’s division completely dedicated to sustainable mobility efforts, including the design and manufacturing of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Basically, it’s BMW M’s eco-friendly alter ego.
Originally, it seemed like the days of the gas-powered BMWs we’ve come to love and cherish were coming to a dreadful end. However, with the production i3 and i8 vehicles, the company proved it can still harness its reputation for building the ultimate driving machines, but for the post-millennium. And so, it gave driving enthusiasts a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for what seems like the impending doom of the internal combustion engine.
“BMW i exists to generate creative, pioneering ideas which transform the way we think about mobility.”
“Ultimately, the BMW Vision iNext will add a new dimension to ‘sheer driving pleasure,’ because of course, driver orientation and driving still remains a part of our DNA,” said Klaus Frolich, BMW AG’s head of development, while introducing the iNext to journalists in the belly of the Lufthansa Cargo 777F at John F. Kennedy airport.
“Just to summarize, equipped with autonomous driving technology, next-level connectivity features, and an interior of the future, and of course, fully electric, the BMW Vision iNext will serve as an incubator. It’s a bold statement to demonstrate our company’s strengths in innovation. It will ensure BMW Group has everything in place to be successful in the market when competing with both old, and new players in the near- and far future.”
By Design
“BMW i exists to generate creative, pioneering ideas which transform the way we think about mobility,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW Group’s senior vice president of design. “The BMW Vision iNext marks another big step on that journey of transformation, showing how more intelligent vehicles can make our lives easier and more beautiful.”
WAGON RIDER 