Recently, BMWBLOG had the pleasure of learning more about the future of BMW design and where the company might be heading with the upcoming Neue Klasse and other vehicles. It focused primarily on one man and one car. That man is someone you may already be aware of: Domagoj Dukec, Head of Design for BMW and unapologetic creative responsible for changing the face of BMW as we know it. See: the BMW XM and G80 M3. On the other hand, the car is something altogether new: the BMW i Vision Dee.
An abbreviation for “Digital Emotional Experience,” the i Vision Dee debuts at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Fortunately, BMWBLOG got a bit of a behind-the-scenes look where Domagoj Dukec gave us some significant insight into what the vehicle sets out to accomplish. Primarily, a focus on digitalization and design on the outside, with augmented reality and an immersive heads-up experience on the inside.
Answering questions that vintage BMW enthusiasts have been asking for a while – most of them derivative of “what in the world is going on over there?” – Domagoj Dukec has given us clear insight into the brand’s direction. He wants to make future generations switch sentiment from “needing a car” to “wanting a car” and believes he can do this by ditching “unnecessary elements on a car, like a chrome strip. There’s no interaction with it.” He continues, “Just chrome…you don’t need that. You have…technology, which can interact, give you more information.” He references an example – a Hofmeister kink that could display charge level.
While the i Vision Dee doesn’t ultimately tell what the soon-to-come Neue Klasse will look like, it gives us some clues. Dukec claims the i Vision Dee adapts a more classic three-box sedan shape rather than something more alien to pay homage to classic BMW design. Regarding the grilles, Dukec admits they’re an iconic staple of BMW design but downplays the importance of their size. “Everybody has a different perception, but it doesn’t matter. It’s always two identical openings…you can…
