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BMW models, news & reviews
By Nargess Shahmanesh-Banks
First Official Pictures
10 June 2008 00:00
Who’d have guessed that BMW’s latest concept car would be made of cloth? The GINA Light Visionary Model – unveiled today – is a far-flung research concept from Munich that has shaped the latest generation of BMWs. This car can change shape and surface at the flick of a switch, and the 'GINA' principles it espouses have been used to craft today's BMW design language. Fancy flame surfacing today? No worries – tap a switch and your bodywork goes all taut-edged and angry. Prefer to go more classical and clean-edged? Not a problem. GINA does it all. BMW GINA: what it all meansBMW design has been known to ruffle a few conservative feathers in the past, and today's disclosure of its GINA process is bound to raise eyebrows. Standing on its 20-inch alloys, the Light Vision Model concept looks like a modern-day BMW sports car, displaying taut sculpted muscles and the brand’s unmistakable signature form language of flame surfacing. Yet the Light Visionary Model is not made of metal but of cloth. The virtually seamless stretch fabric is secured on a meshwork of metal wires that shields the movable substructure beneath.Made of cloth?! Has Chris Bangle finally lost the plot?Bear with us here. The BMW group design director explained at length to CAR the method in his madness at a private viewing ahead of the official media launch in the newly renovated BMW museum in Munich. The Light Vision Model is part of a project that has shaped BMW design for a decade and led to ground-breaking developments such as iDrive and flame surfacing. It's the ultimate expression of the company's GINA design mantra. ‘The cloth can change your mind about what a car can be,’ he says mysteriously. Click ‘Next’ below to read more of Bangle’s explanation...
UPDATED VIDEO: BMW GINA Light Visionary Model: Premiere
Watch the GINA car in BMW's promotional video below
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BMW GINA Light Visionary Model concept (2008): first photos and video
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Batty says
RE: BMW GINA Light Visionary Model concept: first photos and video
Surely then they would have given it a name less prone to misinterpretation then AReader (as you pointed out with your VAG connotations!) I agree, pretence over substance, showbiz over reality. It draws a very strong parallel with what happened before the US industry started to struggle. Come on CAR, lets see the video of the engineers on the Mercedes DiesOttto engine, there are the real "stars".
17 June 2008 08:00
farmersboy says
Just another silly concept car built by people with too much money and time on their hands. I agree with AReader about it trying to inject fresh interest in the Z cars...
17 June 2008 07:57
AReader says
It is NOT impossible to stay unimpressed after watching this video. I have watched it 3 times, and it gets even less impressive each time. There is no way anything like this will EVER reach production this side of a Terry Gilliam movie. This is a contemptible crock of a concept! I still maintain that the only purpose of the GINA is to attempt to re-attract women buyers to the Bimmer Z line.
17 June 2008 02:49
I think that Mr Bangle is a fan of the Iron Man and irony itself. He presents a car in cloth and goes home to wear his steel clothes! (AReader, he couldn't do this at FIAT because he was concerned with their reputation for rust. Could lead to some sticky situations downtown.)
17 June 2008 02:32
desamarcelo says
Wow! I'm still impressed! Bangle is a genious and even if everybody wasn't ready for the whole revolution at first, we can now aprecciate the beauty in cars such as the Z4, the 5-series and the 3 coupé. Finally being able this revolutionary concept that inspired all these cars that I love is thrilling. The way the parts move is so natural and unexpected that it's impossible to stay unimpressed after watching this video. Thank you, Chris Bangle.
17 June 2008 01:59
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