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BMW’s Upcoming Fuel-Cell Vehicle Concept Reportedly Leaked via Patent Drawings in China

Just as BMW officials started talking about the future of fuel-cell powered cars in Munich, somehow, through some never before thought possible coincidence, images of an alleged fuel cell concept have leaked online.
BMW Fuel-Cell Vehicle Concept Patent Drawings 5 photos
Photo: PCauto.com.cn
BMW Fuel-Cell Vehicle Concept Patent DrawingsBMW Fuel-Cell Vehicle Concept Patent DrawingsBMW Fuel-Cell Vehicle Concept Patent DrawingsBMW Fuel-Cell Vehicle Concept Patent Drawings
The statements made by BMW Development boss Klaus Frolich and the man in charge of fuel-cell vehicle research, Mr. Merten Jung, have pointed to a larger sedan as the first of its kind under the blue and white umbrella, and yet, here we are today, looking at what seems to be a 2+2 hatchback.

Admittedly, some BMW trademark features are there, and the sources claiming that this is truly a patent are diverse but still... Some part of us hopes this never sees the light of day.

From the front, the whole thing looks decent. There are the kidney grilles in the center, an unusual design for the hood, with lots of creases that are supposed to improve aerodynamics, and headlights with corona rings (or at least a variation of those on the i8). There is also a front spoiler decked with various air intakes that will make this body as aerodynamic as possible.

The wheels look similar in size to those from the i3, while the shoulders of the rear fenders have been cut out especially to resist oncoming air as little as possible.

Everything about this car screams efficiency. Even the teardrop shape visible from up top, along with all the cuts and streams on the body contribute to this “party” of shapes and sizes. Around the back is where everything goes haywire.

If any of the designers over at BMW had anything to do with this concept, one has to wonder where this world has come to. Maybe drugs had something to do with it, but all jokes aside, this thing looks more like a Japanese car than anything coming from Germany.

There are certainly some Honda Civic hatch design cues on it. However, unlike the current FWD record holder on the Nurburgring, the supposed BMW does have some active flaps at the back that are probably supposed to improve aerodynamics at high speeds.

The side mirrors are missing for the same reason, being replaced by cameras installed in the rear spoiler, while the seats inside seem to be dangerously close to those on the BMW i3 in terms of design.

Overall, it’s safe to say that it's a terribly bad looking car, and we definitely hope this is just the patent for a testing model, not a production one or even a concept. Furthermore, judging by what the officials are saying today, there’s a minuscule chance that this is truly the real deal. We were promised a proper sedan and we’re going to get one, not something that looks like this.

In the meantime, working in favor of the photos below is the i8 clone that used hydrogen, unveiled a while back by BMW at their Miramas testing facility. That one too had a rather peculiar look to it, but we were assured by the Germans that it was only for functional purposes, to learn more about the powertrain.

Speaking of which, if this .... thing... comes to any auto show this year or the next, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it using BMW’s first attempt at fuel-cell propulsion, possibly a system developed in collaboration with Toyota.
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