Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink
BMW showcased the Circular concept car at its stand at the IAA 2021 Mobility show. It is the work of the BMW I design studio, and it shows us that there is life after the big grilles of 2020. According to that department, the future kidney grilles from BMW will be horizontal instead of vertical.
As you can observe in the photo gallery of this story, these new front grilles from BMW are blended right into the headlights, and they share the same surface above the front bumper. Parts of the grille include vertical lines, while others have lines at an angle opposite that of the LED bars in the headlights.
The concept vehicle also comes without a BMW badge on the front, which is also uncommon. The badges in the wheel center caps have also been made more discreet than ever. A look at the sides of the exhibited vehicle reveals the same angled lines near the glasshouse, and there is a small BMW logo on the side of the rear door.
The rear doors are rear-hinged, so they are opened the other way round, just like on an i3. The latter could be considered the grandfather of this concept vehicle for 2040. The two cars have more in common than you might expect, as both come with sustainable materials on the interior, and an out-of-the-box design.
Unlike the i3, the BMW i Circular Concept comes with doors that seem to open individually, which was a practical issue on the i3. In this case, if a production model will be inspired by this concept and would share the look, it would be more practical. Hopefully, it will have door handles.
The design part is important here, as BMW i designers seem to have imagined a future where people will want cars with interiors that remind them of their houses. The rear seats look like a couch, while the front seats look like a blend of bucket seats and cocoon-shaped armchairs.
As I mentioned in the initial story about this concept vehicle, the best part about it is that it comes with a conventional steering wheel and a set of pedals. That means that BMW still wants to offer cars that can be driven by humans in 2040, and not just focus on a self-driving future.
The concept vehicle also comes without a BMW badge on the front, which is also uncommon. The badges in the wheel center caps have also been made more discreet than ever. A look at the sides of the exhibited vehicle reveals the same angled lines near the glasshouse, and there is a small BMW logo on the side of the rear door.
The rear doors are rear-hinged, so they are opened the other way round, just like on an i3. The latter could be considered the grandfather of this concept vehicle for 2040. The two cars have more in common than you might expect, as both come with sustainable materials on the interior, and an out-of-the-box design.
Unlike the i3, the BMW i Circular Concept comes with doors that seem to open individually, which was a practical issue on the i3. In this case, if a production model will be inspired by this concept and would share the look, it would be more practical. Hopefully, it will have door handles.
The design part is important here, as BMW i designers seem to have imagined a future where people will want cars with interiors that remind them of their houses. The rear seats look like a couch, while the front seats look like a blend of bucket seats and cocoon-shaped armchairs.
As I mentioned in the initial story about this concept vehicle, the best part about it is that it comes with a conventional steering wheel and a set of pedals. That means that BMW still wants to offer cars that can be driven by humans in 2040, and not just focus on a self-driving future.
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