Bucket Seat: BMW Concept 4

Yesterday at the 68th annual Frankfurt Motorshow saw BMW unveil their Concept 4 which their upcoming 4 Series model line up will be heavily based on. IAA being one of the biggest motor shows on the European continent, and with it being in Germany serves as the ideal platform for German brands to flaunt their latest ideas and models. On Monday we saw VW and Audi flaunt their showcase, with the show stopping RS7 being unveiled and VW's electric model ID.3. With BMW eager to get the crowds just excited, they could not have chose a better model to do it with, the Concept 4 is simply stunning, the design harks back to BMW racing legends in the past, molded by heritage and sculpted by the future. It's sharp angles and straight lines give it that racing stance which is required on a sports coupe but still maintains that level of elegance that BMW somehow always achieve. 

The high door line gives the overall vehicle a sleek look and with the sides flaring to the wheel arches adds bulk to the waist of the car. The roof is more sloped than what we're used to with BMW Coupes and the elegant window line outlined in metal give the car added dimension. However, the major talking point about this car is the rather large vertical kidney grilles, personally I think it works well with the car. As mentioned before, the design draws lots of inspiration from BMW's of the past and if you look at the 3.0 CSL, the 2002 GT, all had vertical kidney grille's, granted not as large but vertical none the less. It's the not the first time we're seeing massive grille's from BMW and it's a sign of the direction their design language is heading. I don't see why many are making it a big issue, other manufacturers also have large grilles on their cars but don't get as much flack, in fact, the likes of Lexus are applauded for it. 

Anyway, Adrian van Hooydonk, who is the senior Vice President of the BMW Group Design says "The BMW Concept 4 embodies the aesthetic essence of the BMW brand. It combines perfect proportions with clear and precise design." BMW say that up to 85% of what we see in the Concept 4 will be what the production model 4 Series will look like, and I love it, I hope they keep the flares that adorn the sides which have carbon moldings that are in a shape of a 4. No imagines of the interior has been shown as yet but it should be very similar to the 3 Series. Overall the Concept 4 is a very exciting model and hearing that significant amount will be kept for the next generation 4 Series does excite many.