BMW says the GINA's fabric skin is thermally and physically flexible, so the V8 mill shouldn't melt it
BMW's amazing new take on car design uses a fabric for the exterior styling, and it looks great
With a combination of solid and flexible metal and carbon fibre elements, the design is fluid
The BMW GINA Light Visionary Model concept takes the idea of vehicle personalisation to the 'Nth' degree
Munich, Germany—
BMW has unleashed one of the coolest concept cars we've ever seen here at the Motoring Channel.
Basically
a metal and carbon-fibre space frame chassis covered with a high tech
lycra stocking, the new BMW concept changes the way we interpret
cars.
It gives the user the freedom to manipulate the car's exterior to their own personal taste.
Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) chief of design, Chris Bangle, says the philosophy behind GINA concept is "flexibility".
Unlike
most cars that have one strict shape based on the vehicle's frame and
sheet metal, the BMW GINA features a material coating underneath which
resides a complex array of flexible members.
The
G.I.N.A acronym stands for "Geometry and Functions In “N”
Adaptions" according to BMW, where 'N' refers to infinity.
In essence, the car can change its shape at the touch of a button.
Don't believe us? Play the video to see the vehicle working its magic, and how it 'winks' its headlights.
The
fabric that determines the vehicle's exterior design is stretched over
a complex mass of wires and electric-hydraulic devices that can change
the vehicles appearance and as BMW explains, the GINA Light Visionary
concept car is a "visionary look into the future [that] shows the
extent to which the BMW Group employs creative potential in its
endeavor to respond to the challenges of tomorrow's mobility".
While
the idea of an malleable car for mainstream global markets is a bit far
fetched at this point - crash protection would probably be a sticking
point - the applications for the vehicle in terms of car design itself
are potentially massive.
Let's
say this new concept car by Chris Bangle and his team of engineers and
designers was the precursor to the new Z4 model. It would allow the
designers to see, with true light and shadow, how the car looks with
different character lines and styling cues.
Thought
BMW doesn't go into specifics, the engine stretching through the car's
fabric appears to have twin cylinder banks, suggesting it is powered by
a V8 engine.
BMW says the new car "promotes
innovative thinking by allowing maximum freedom of creativity" and
could be the first concept of its type, exhibiting a free-form exterior
design.
The German car maker believes that the ideas
that gave birth to the new concept car, the GINA Light Visionary
Model, are "derived from the needs and demands of customers concerning
the aesthetic and functional characteristics of their car and their
desire to express individuality and lifestyle".
If
car's like this one existed in the far future, the idea of aftermarket
cosmetic upgrades - new headlights, body kits, spoilers - could be made
redundant.
Not all of the BMW GINA's proportions are movable however.
"Some elements of the substructure are moveable," explains BMW. "The
driver can move them by means of electro and electro-hydraulic
controls. This will also change the shape of the outer skin, which can
thus be adapted to suit the current situation, the driver’s
requirements and can also enhance the car’s functional range."
Stretched
and pinned down in strategic points, the concept cars cloth skin is
flexible enough to allow the movement of the front and rear areas, and
even the opening and closing of the doors.
As
BMW revealed, "...the GINA Light Visionary Model has dispensed with the
usual body elements found on production vehicles such as front apron,
bonnet, side panels, doors, wheel arches, roof, trunk lid and rear
deck. Instead, a new structure with a minimum amount of components has
taken their place."
The BMW GINA
Light Visionary Model concept's 'skin' material is itself a "highly
durable and extremely expansion-resistant fabric material" that once
stretched will reveal no seams or folds.
This fabric is industrially produced and "...made from a
stabilizing mesh netting support and an outer layer that is both
water-repellent and resistant to high and low temperatures" BMW has revealed.
Also
of interest are the turn indicators and the taillights. These crucial
driving features function normally no matter the shape of the vehicle,
and their position is only revealed upon activation.
The lights shine through the translucent fabric cover, which is permeable to light but not transparent explains BMW.
If
the car's ECU detects that the engine or transmission is getting too
hot and needs more engine cooling, the trademark BMW kidney grille can
be widened to provide more air flow.
Even
the BMW GINA Light Visionary Model's interior has moving parts that
allow driver and passenger to more easily enter and exit the vehicle.
This
new concept car from Germany is so different from anything else before
it, and could change the way car designers approach various
projects.
In BMW's words, "The GINA Light Visionary Model takes the sculptural
design that has already been established by a number of production cars
to a new, unparalleled conclusion."
