Photo: BMW
If there’s one thing everyone seems to be commenting on regarding modern cars, it’s the exterior design. It looks like the most common mistake manufacturers make these days is that they build all their cars to look similar.
Probably the best example is the Audi brand. Today, every model from the A3 to the A8 looks identical in different proportions. They have the same headlights, the same grilles up front and the same taillights. Well, they are not the only ones either.
The Mercedes range is starting to look the same, with every new model launched after the S-Class apparently being forced to adopt a convenient design. Just look at the C-Class, for example, or the new GLE models and you’ll soon learn what we mean. We also have a sneaky suspicion that the upcoming E-Class will follow suit.
That being said, what about BMW? Well, it’s the same story in most cases. The two models that were most alike up until recently were the F10 5 Series and the F01 7 Series. Well, that’s no longer the case, with the new G11 7er taking things in a new direction.
And it looks like BMW wants to set itself apart. In an old interview, BMW’s Brand Design Director Karim Habib said that the company he represents wanted a bigger differentiation between models. Today, one of our sources has confirmed that the next 3 Series and the new 5 Series will be differentiated more.
The 5 Series will have a design that won’t be as close to the 7 Series as it used to be. It will leave the huge kidney grilles behind and go for a sleeker appearance, one that will make it look slimmer and more agile than it did up until now.
If you take a closer look at the 3 Series, you’ll notice that it has edges everywhere because it wants to exude an image of sportiness, whereas the 5 Series has a lot more curves as to suggest elegance. Well, with the development of new lighting technologies, all cars will have more options on the table.
The 5er will borrow OLED lighting from the M4 GTS and will become the first mainstream BMW to use them for the taillights as well as the interior and headlights. That will allow designers to be bolder. Unfortunately, the 3 Series won’t be so lucky, at least not at first, as the OLED tech will be reserved for the LCI in the beginning.
On top of that, future development of LED lighting and laser light will probably make at least halogen lights obsolete, if not xenon as well. One significant issue that should also be tackled in our view of things is the interior design, but there’s no word on that yet.
The Mercedes range is starting to look the same, with every new model launched after the S-Class apparently being forced to adopt a convenient design. Just look at the C-Class, for example, or the new GLE models and you’ll soon learn what we mean. We also have a sneaky suspicion that the upcoming E-Class will follow suit.
That being said, what about BMW? Well, it’s the same story in most cases. The two models that were most alike up until recently were the F10 5 Series and the F01 7 Series. Well, that’s no longer the case, with the new G11 7er taking things in a new direction.
And it looks like BMW wants to set itself apart. In an old interview, BMW’s Brand Design Director Karim Habib said that the company he represents wanted a bigger differentiation between models. Today, one of our sources has confirmed that the next 3 Series and the new 5 Series will be differentiated more.
The 5 Series will have a design that won’t be as close to the 7 Series as it used to be. It will leave the huge kidney grilles behind and go for a sleeker appearance, one that will make it look slimmer and more agile than it did up until now.
If you take a closer look at the 3 Series, you’ll notice that it has edges everywhere because it wants to exude an image of sportiness, whereas the 5 Series has a lot more curves as to suggest elegance. Well, with the development of new lighting technologies, all cars will have more options on the table.
The 5er will borrow OLED lighting from the M4 GTS and will become the first mainstream BMW to use them for the taillights as well as the interior and headlights. That will allow designers to be bolder. Unfortunately, the 3 Series won’t be so lucky, at least not at first, as the OLED tech will be reserved for the LCI in the beginning.
On top of that, future development of LED lighting and laser light will probably make at least halogen lights obsolete, if not xenon as well. One significant issue that should also be tackled in our view of things is the interior design, but there’s no word on that yet.
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