Published: June 11, 2008 in design » automotive by Thomas Baekdal
BMW has created a new concept car, and it is unlike anything you have ever seen before. It is a shape-shifter, has a textile skin, and it challenges our perception of what a car should look like.
Before we dive into the details, take a look at this video:
The very thing you will notice is of course the overall design. It looks like a cool two-seater roadster. But you also notice that there is a big difference. It changes the way it looks. You can make the car bold and big when e.g. it is standing still, and change it to a sleeker and more aerodynamic version when you are cruising the high-way.
The back end rises into a spoiler when you are driving fast or when you need extra down-force, and unlike traditional raising spoilers this one appear as an organic part of the car itself.
My absolute favorite feature is the headlights. In the normal position, when the headlights are not active, i.e. when there is no necessity to illuminate the road, they are hidden under the special fabric cover. As soon as the driver turns on the lights, the contours of the front end changes. Activated by the metal structure that lies beneath it, the previously closed fabric cover opens to the right and left of the BMW kidney grille and reveals the BMW double head-lights.
It is like having eyes on your car.
If you need to do repairs or just look at the motor, the hood splits in two and opens like a jacket.
And then you got the doors. They are sleek and straight when they are closed. But, you open them by bending the surface of the car, which makes for a rather stunning. The "wrinkles" are confined to the area between the front door edge and the side panel. Once the doors are closed, the folds in material disappear completely, leaving a perfectly smooth, stretched material surface.
But the shape-shifting behavior doesn't stop at the outer skin. You can change the interior as well.
When the car is parked, the steering wheel and the round instruments - rev counter, speedometer and fuel gauge, which are vertically arranged on the centre console, are in idle position. This provides the driver with maximum comfort upon entering the car. Likewise, the seat only assumes its optimized functional position and shape if and when the driver sits down on it.
At that point, the headrest, previously firmly integrated into the seat's backrest, rises up automatically. At the same time, the steering wheel moves towards the driver and the instrument panel moves in the same direction.
One the whole, this is a spectacular car. But don't expect to see it on the road anytime soon - or ever. It does drive, but it went directly from BMW Group Design to their Museum in Munich, Germany. Here it will "live" for the rest of its amazing existence.
I especially like the way the engine is revealed and the way it blinks its "eyes" (headlights)
This is the most detailed description of this car i have seen so far. I didn't like it before, but after seeing the headlights and other goodies I'm starting to really see why people find it so cool.
I hadn't seen this video before. Thanks for hosting it, really interesting.
Great car for women... after they scrape it, they can sew it up with needle and thread!
how does the door open without any lines or anything, it just looks like its all one piece
it is all one piece, fabric bends
I love it. Just one question, how will it perform with rock chips?
What an ugly contraption... keep trying.
OK, looks great, I can see the appeal. But - the comments about scrape and sew above, although tongue in cheek, highlight a different problem. I can see it now - row after row of these cars parked at the local dealer, all of them with their skins slit open by some punks/hooligans/vandals waiting to have a new skin fitted. More time in the garage than on the road.
Mind you, there is also the "pimp my ride" market - what strange and gawdy skins will people come up with :-)
Maybe it's only me, but there is something suspect about the car's name and its hood feature. All designers are perverts...
Awesome car, but how functional is that hood? It doesn't give much room to do repairs.
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Nope, not the most functional hood, but it sure looks good.
this car is looking dangerous, if this goes into production bmw will destroy audi's new r8
terrifically beautiful car. but my question is, what's the safety standards on this thing? fabric isn't going to help much when grandma runs a red-light and t-bones this thing.
Billy, the skin, as the designer put it , does not really contribute all that much to saftey, the saftey and crash-worthiness of the car can be handled by the actual space-frame or cage of the car.
Interesting design and technology concepts. The sharp lines look cool now, but how will the design age? Typically sharp design lines date an object rather than give it a timeless appearance.
How does the cloth handle up to rain? I can see this thing getting moldy after awhile? Also what about oil spills, oil will wash or burn off metal if treated immediatley, cloth stains in an instant! For that matter just dirt will make this look horrible after a month
How do you wash this thing? And what about cats on the roof? Or pigeons with their daily "needs"?
This car is awesome to look at...but how durable is the covering. I mean when the door is opened (what should be the door) I notice the lines that appear...how long before those line start becoming permanent even when the door is closed?
Secondly in one of the hood shots there is a crumpled area...I wouldn't want a car that has those kinds of marks cause my improper fitting of the suit or aging.
love the "eyes" headlights..
i hope its a hybrid or bio-fuel - by the time this comes out it will cost you 200 dollars to drive around the corner
This content has been Agglom (erated) with other similar ones on http://www.agglom.com/agglom/62 - BMW Gina - Light Visionary Model
Was this first posted on April 1st?
If not how does the skin hold its form at speed, won't it distort, the aerodynamic look will disappear...
Yeah I'm with Stuart on this one, was just thinking the whole way through that video, someone is clearly gonna run a knife up the side of it. Might be flexible and movable but lets see it dodge that.... Oh and the hood clearly looks like a womans private parts, apart from that though, looks pretty cool.
2 hours to replace the skin!?!?! So thats how they come up with the repair times... the engineer spouts them out in PR releases.
Finally! A car that can go from zero to "my laptop, CDs stereo and anything I put in my glove compartment gone using only a pocketknife" in under 10 seconds! I can put all my worthwhile things in a rubber bag on the sidewalk already, so I'm not too hot on the "Who needs a hard skin?" mentality. I like the fact that it's going to make the car lighter, and get it better mileage, but that's about it on this one. Great thinking, not so great for real-life application.
Most of you don't get it….it is not about the flexible skin, or how easy a thief can "get into it"…it is about taking something "traditional" (rigid) and thinking about it in a whole different way. This is the type of thinking that will propel us, the human race, into the future. Release the chains that bind your mind!
@Peter... thanks for bringing some sense of reality to the conversation.
This is exactly about breaking those boundaries, innovating and trying new things. Step out of the box guys. The "problems" you guys point out, the creases, the dirt, theft, are irrelevant in this project and when they need fixing they will be fixed.
For now, this is what it is, an awesome concept and a vision. Take it or leave it but stop trying to mold (no pun intended) stuff into "the way things are" and begin imagine how they could be. Expand and imagine.
Alright before I get my hopes up can you give me a price range when it becomes available? Engine size? Trunk space?
Richard, they said in the afterthought that the car was never going to be made into a production vehicle, alas you will never see this car on the road.
Aside from the obvious flaws listed above, the main problem i forsee is simply the sun. no fabric i have found especially one with elastic properties as demonstrated in the movie comes out ontop for long when it is placed for long times in the sun.
Take this car for being the engineering marvel that it is. Unlike the Bugatti Veyron, there is no need to sell this car to open people's eyes to the possibilities. As the Bugatti is being sold at a 3+million dollar loss for each one, then this sounds like a pretty good idea by BMW.
I think this is a look into the future. BMW has always been at the forefront of innovation. I think we have become witness of something our children and grandchildren will consider normal and find metal skins on transportation vehicles ancient. I think the skin will be made out of some material that has bullet proof material incorporated and has the strength to stand up to higher speeds. I think we can not imagine what is possible. As if somebody would have believed you 50 years ago that a thin vest can stop a bullet......
no offense or anything pete, but that kinda thinkings gonna get your shit stolen. also i agree with the hood thing, could open up more. your not gonna get shit done with that amount of space. and yeah it does look like a womans parts.
I like the design personally. The headlights and spoiler are a nice touch. The doors are iffy open but look fabulous closed. As a response to the above forethought of vandalism, theft, scrapes and general dirt. Don't think of the skin as cloth for a real world application. I know that there is a technology that would support a woven Kevlar mesh and neoprene "cloth", this would be impervious to entrance sized cuts, and would highly resist dirt and mold. I hope that some of the technology, could make it into some form of production stance. Very cool demonstration as this is a definite out of the box "concept".
Excellent work!
How do you wash it?
awesome.. .
Very cool desing study. Probably a little impracticle for everyday use, but who knows. Airplanes were "skinned' for years and some still are. Makes for a very light (fuel efficient) vehicle, even if it didn't "transform".
If that concept car is in a museum somewhere and it's never going to made in "real-life", then use the technology for other things. For instance, computer cases, book covers, backpacks, cell phones, televisions, furniture or even for airplanes! I don't know if you have ever tried to hang sheet rock, but I'd rather use that stuff for even walls in my house! Common, the innovation of this material doesn't just have to be for a car that most people could not afford anyways.
awesome concept in terms of originalilty and a more eco friendly approach to cars....but i personally i think it's hideous. think about the hood opening for repairs...how filthy will the fabric get? and what about washing it? not exactly practical.
I want this car, its amazing. WOW
i dnt hav words for that.....
It's Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Great way to get better gas mileage by making the vehicle lighter and be able to change the shape (and) drag at different speeds. Looking at the Smart car the skin is obviously not important for safety. The Smart has plastic panels that are cheap and easy to replace instead of sheet metal-clad doors, so the cloth skin on the GINA should not be a safety issue. The cabin can be protected by a cage constructed to be rigid.
I just wonder what kind of material the cloth-like skin is made of and what the lifetime is. Just like other readers I also wonder how the skin holds up under pressure exerted on it when at high speeds.
Outstanding ! As the son of a retired auto worker, and an auto enthusiest, I am in impressed. What an inovation and with seven vehicle's of now if there were a way I would be a test subjuct right now. Not sure my wife would agree but, hey this is truely amazing !
Truly amazing and over the top creative! I love it at the end when the car winks!...Also where can I get the music that is play during the video?
WOW!!! This is truly the further. Its like giving your car a suite to wear. If in 2 hours it can be dressed on a car then imagine the color combination you can try. No imagine that you use this can and the skin or cloth gets damaged and all you have to do is get a new one and BANG you have brand new looking car. Like giving your car a new paint job in 2 hours. I am sure this is the further of cars to come. After all most of car may have great features but on the road in any city we don't make the rally out of our daily drives and only the looks matter.After all we all show off our looks end.
I'ts very cool car. Btw how much it cost and when it came out for sell.. And top speed for this damn car:P
its the beggining the new era of car designs....
i have no idea how you perverts think the hood opening looks like a womans parts. shame
Interesting design and looks cool from some angles. Impressed with the interior. Not practical for the world we currently live in. I also disagree about the hood looking like "you-know-what" It's just a slit (would have to put some stubble on it) maybe there is a switch which activates that.
Think the door looks ghastly when open. Did they think about using the fabric on just certain areas first? Headlights very neat. Vandalism wouldn't be too much of a problem. If you could afford this car, you wouldn't be doing the supermarket run in it and not be parking it out in the street late at night. It may well weather sooner than conventional materials.
yaw are missing the point, sure cloth gets dirty, and can be cut, but this things a concept car. concept cares a "art"
and art isn't ment to be practial, or even useful. Would you leave a van goth parked on the street? no!
this thing will probly never even be cranked more than a few times, so why does it need a big hood?
I really like the design concept. Traditionally I have found BMW's rather square and samey, up until BMW 1 series, which is sleek and stands out. This concept goes further. I really like it.
Wonderful!!
Does anybody know what exactly fabric do they use? Is it sustainable? What about fire resistance?
Just a couple of random questions. 1) Would an African-American be comfortable driving something like this? 2) Would this be something the owner of a BBQ restaurant could be seen in?
it really is an amazing piece of art but you guys should also put a little more info about its motor and transmission performance
this is the way to go i didint like BMW but now i am a big fan
well done to the guys at BMW
Fabric is cheaper to replace then steel! Rock chips should bounce of a fabric membrane.
BBQ sauce should wipe off easily.
What's wrong with You people?????
After more than a hundred years of Automotive Industry there is One Man (like few others) who ignores many of the presumed rules that govern this industry everyone keeps bringing up is controversial designs.
We owe Chris Bangle the disruption of the way most of us have thought about cars for too long time.
"Potential requires experimentation", but i'm afraid most of y'all can't see through the current industry, the same formula reproduced over and over again which already started a Creative Destriction(...)
Then we ear about Sustainable Mobility, ironically by lobby owners who keep shutting down those who try to fight upon society's addiction to petroleum... and at the next autoshow the spotlights point towards a 620bhp worthless car for city's mobility and legally constraints... still, a welded box of stamped-tin.
I am glad someone cares...
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/chris_bangle_says_great_cars_are_art.html
İt s looking so great, also back of the BMW is superr..
i love it..
Hey beemerhater, FYI BMW cars are Bimer and their bikes are beemer!
This is a great design and I hope we eventually see these on the road. There are potential problems, such as how the materials will hold up to sunlight and vandalism, but the materials will probably get better and better.
Is this vehicle (BMW GINA) available for sale and when can you order the vehicle.?
Sincerely,
Robert Gonzalez
305-984-8496
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Nope, It is not for sale. It was built as a showpiece for the BMW museum in Munic
Dear editors, referring to the publication of this article I wanted to inform you that the inventor and creator of external coatings for cars in any material, I am the owner since 2006 with the Patent No. 0000091380 granted by the Ministry of Productive Activities, therefore, also known as of the legal department of BMW, in fact they also my patent is this .... But they do not want to sit at the table of negotiation, and have ended any possibility of talks, so I'm starting a campaign to disclose quest' the which was also copied by Peugeot, who has exhibited in Paris 1007 covered with a cloth (see youtube Peugeot showroom), which, however, after my formal notice was promptly removed from the window ... are available to answer your questions and evidence of the above mentioned, I thank you if you help me in this, cordial greetings greetings.
Giuseppe Bianco
info@skincar.it
the most live car
Wow, real futuristique. Is this the new Batmobile or what?
omg this car is ssooooooooo ot i think im gona buy it........
this car is just so HOT.
Surely this is the Z4??????
my create sumthing this good, if it's only for ur own friggin mueseum. I was a big fan but now after reading these comments, I have to agree. What about fir resistance, top speed, vadalism, and all that?!
this bmw is so nice that i dont even like looking at the bmw
that are sold right now! this is the most amazing designed
car! the technology for this car is just fantastic..wow
I think it's hideous. It is possible that in a few years time its style will make sense, but it is just far too outlandish for the current market. That is the problem with most concepts; they think too far ahead.
Why doesn't this car don't use sliding function doors?
and can this car stand fire?
And does it use a computer chip or something?
What about the security and immobilizer features?
PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
answer my questions.....
I agree that nit-picking about the ability of the skin to resist vandalism or how it's washed is completely irrelevant. Even if it wasn't practical as a commuter car I could see its great advantage in racing. I'm helping design an s.a.e formula car for collegiate competition and our entry this year uses an open frame tube chassis, with just a monocote-type skin stretched over it and I don't understand why more designers aren't replacing their heavier carbon fiber bodies with simply a more robust tube frame that's designed to handle the same crash scenarios. That kind of fram requires a bit more material, but not as much as the possible savings from carbon fiber.
All they need now is to make it steer-by-wire, add a CVT... Think efficiency ppl!
I think this is such a cool concept car! I am not a BMW fan usually but loving this.
fanatastic design especially the skin and the eyes
i hear a lot of oohs and ahhs and how this is not a suitable daily driver, ok its not a daily driver but in form and function it appears like its pretty interesting to look at and would love to go see it in the meuseum. for a weekend car in a nice neighborhood for nice trips on clear days to nice crime free areas period. DO NOT BUY if this is your only car and live in (insert name of horrible neighborhood here) i applaud Bayerische Motoren Werke for their vision and hope one day to see more vehicles of its ilk.
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Jun 11
2008
Ian
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truly spectacular, it's alive!