[hanmust]

BMW Z Vision Concept spotted en route to Frankfurt

Gotcha! The BMW Z Vision Concept was caught on camera being carefully placed on its transport en route to the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. These are the first pictures of the Z Vision Concept which has been rumoured for months now. At a media announcement a week ago BMW called it the EfficientDynamics Vision. Initial stories talked of a two-seat sports car with a difference; it would use not fossil fuels but electric power for its drive systems.

What seems to be a well-covered concept turns out to give some interesting clues as to the styling direction taken. The front grille for example, shows a strong resemblance to that of the 2007 CS Concept car. The side skirts look quite innovative while the chin appears to be a little radical, even for BMW. Side mirrors are nowhere to be seen. Overall the Z Vision seems to have combined attributes from the 3 Series Coupe and the CS Concept.

BMW says the production version of this sports car will serve as a shining industry example that eco-sustainability, great handling and good design don't have to be words that never meet.

Source: bimmerpost.com

[n_aditya]

Doesnt excite me much.

Looks like a lambo, lotus esprit and beemer merged together.

Nice paint job though.

[hanmust]

From the covered facia it look like a Mitsubishi EVO! Does anyone else felt so?

[theragingbull]

It looks like the BMW Concept CS.

[kvish]

Looks too big for a sports car. Infact that last picture looks morphed. The hand and the alloys have something wrong in proportions . A smaller activity coupe?

[?ushk@r]

Got this over the internet, an article about the re-invented 3-Series. From the picture it does look pretty much the same car!

BMW is poised to completely reinvent the 3-series family for the low-carbon age.
Talking exclusively to Autocar, a senior BMW source revealed that a ground-up rethink of the company’s biggest-selling model will ensure that the next-generation 3-series will “remain relevant even when it goes off sale in 12 years’ time”.

The new 3-series is expected to make its public debut at the 2011 Paris motor show. In its first incarnation, the new model is expected to offer class-leading aerodynamics, with a Cd figure of 0.24, as well as pioneering the use of three-cylinder engines in premium vehicles.

The 3-series is part of a new BMW strategy in which ‘premium’ is defined in terms of environmental compatibility. It is this strategy that has prompted BMW to pull out of Formula One from the end of this year.

The reinvention will step up a gear in 2016 when the 3-series undergoes a mid-life revamp. This is expected to represent the biggest technological step-change in car design for decades.

Sources say much of the underskin technology — such as the climate control system — will be completely re-engineered. Many of today’s in-car systems have in principle remained unchanged for decades.

BMW engineers are already years into programmes that will extend the reach of the company’s successful Efficient Dynamics fuel-saving tech to make all aspects of the 3-series — not just the engines — as energy-efficient as possible.
To this end, BMW has fitted thousands of existing customers’ cars with sophisticated black boxes that record all aspects of their use, helping engineers to plan the shape of future models.

For example, the research shows that of all BMW’s models, the 320d is driven the fastest and over the greatest distances by owners. This information will directly influence work on replacements for the 320d to optimise fuel efficiency in the light of this model’s particular duty cycle.

Much of this engineering work is also aimed at the future ‘electrification’ of the car.
BMW’s product planners expect most future car families — especially those in the premium sector — to come in both hybrid and fully electric forms.

This means the design of the car’s electrical architecture and ancillaries will have to be completely rethought to deal with being powered purely by battery. Insiders say headlamps, for example, will have to become far more energy-efficient.

Source: Autocar.co.uk

NOTE: THIS IS JUST A PHOTOSHOP AND SIMPLY AUTOCAR'S OWN TAKE ON WHAT THE NEXT GEN 3-SERIES MAY RESEMBLE.

[hanmust]

Hardly a day has gone by since pictures of the BMW EfficientDynamics Vision / Vision Z were released into the Internet. Yet well-regarded automotive artist Jon Sibal has created a full rendering of the car based on the covered images. It is a rushed job as you can probably tell, something the artist fully admits.

Using the trusted Photoshop digital tool Sibal went underneath the car's skin and imagined what details could be hidden there. The front end features an upturned kidney grille, a sharp headlight area, the traditional BMW "Hoffmeister kink" on the C-pillar (but with a new shape surround). The rims did not impress the artist and so he replaced them with something that was better suited to his tastes. As the concept is missing side mirrors, so is the rendering.

Frankfurt is fast approaching and we look forward to seeing if Sibal has kept his design mojo on this one as well. More such pictures or even more revealing ones may yet turn up after it was reported that the leaked ones were taken subsequent to a BMWweb.tv photo shoot.

Official words from BMW indicate that the concept will redefine the sports car segment with its innovative technologies in many auto spheres. Should we hold our collective breaths?

Source: jonsibal.com

[Nitin]

I kinda find the side skirts to be a bit weird! The front end seems more like the Dodge Charger/Avenger. Love the color and the wheels though!

[musicmanaman]

I think under those covers is a very good looking car, love those wheels.

[amit V8]

ugliness redefined!!!

[AyAn!]

The sinister Bangle look is back!!.All taut and edgy.A bit of American and a bit of Japanese!
But very non-German.I like.

[ariendj]

in some ways...its good but a little getting used to.