The first week of the 2017 Frankfurt International Auto Show, or IAA, is in the books and so are all of the world and European premieres and surprises from BMW, which used the theme: "This Is Tomorrow. Now. The Future Is Now." Let's take a look at the featured attractions that filled the 10,500 square meters in the BMW Group stand in Hall 11.
For vehicles, the 2017 IAA was the year for concept cars. Not just any concepts, but concepts that previewed production cars coming out in the next couple of years. This tactic now seems firmly ensconced in BMW's marketing playbook. By revealing a concept version of a vehicle, BMW is able to gauge the reaction without committing to the final design or engineering elements of a production car, and at the same time, the model gets all sorts of free media attention before it is ever seen without camouflage. It worked very well for the BMW Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics in 2009 that became the BMW i8 Concept in 2011 that became the BMW i8 Coupe in 2014.
No fewer than five BMW Group concepts made the stage at Frankfurt. There were huge concepts and tiny concepts, concepts that previewed new series and concepts that previewed new versions of established series.
The biggest concept was the BMW X7 Concept, which provided a glimpse of the design elements of the BMW X7 Sports Activity Vehicle that will be launched next year. The X7 Concept had features that some viewers loved—like three real rows of seats—and that some viewers weren't so sure about—like the front kidney grilles the size of Rhode Island.
Did we mention the BMW X7 Concept was a plug-in hybrid? It's full name is the BMW X7 Concept iPerformance and it emphasized that BMW will have electrified versions of every model line.
BMW needed the X7 Concept to continue to build momentum for what will be its top-of-the-line SAV that will challenge Mercedes-Benz for sales leadership in the really big luxury SUV category. At least BMW Group Chairman Harald Krüger hopes it will.
BMW also used the X7 Concept to reinforce BMW's intent to create a market distinction between most of its products and the ones that fall into a top luxury class. This best-of-the-best BMW segment will include vehicles with "7" and "8" in their badging; specifically, the X7 SAV, 7 Series Sedan, 8 Series Coupe and Convertible, i8 Coupe, and i8 Roadster.
To further distinguish its most premium models, BMW will apply a new logo in this segment. Well, it's new, but then again, it's old. BMW's premium cars will be associated with a two-dimensional black and white roundel, underneath which the words "Bayerische Motoren Werke" will be spelled out. We're waiting to see how this new logo will manifest itself.
The next new concept car that generated a whole lot of discussion was the BMW i Vision Dynamics, an all-electric four-door Gran Coupe-looking car with a range of 373 miles, a top speed of 120 miles per hour, and a zero-to-60 time of four seconds. Like the Concept X7, the BMW i Concept Vision Dynamics has a huge kidney grille, or at least a representation of one, since it does not have the traditional vertical slats. Instead, it has sensors that will be needed to implement the semi-autonomous driving functions of the car.
Since there is no corresponding impending production car that the Concept i Vision Dynamics is previewing, we might assume this is just a design exercise, like concept cars used to be. But not so fast. BMW Group R&D head Klaus Fröhlich had this little tidbit about the new concept, “The BMW i Vision Dynamics allows us to show right now what another electric BMW might look like. And BMW has demonstrated its talent for turning visions into real life throughout its history.”
Does that mean we might see an additional all-electric BMW before the 2021 arrival of the BMW iNext?
Last year the BMW Group announced an all-electric Mini was coming in 2019. At the 2017 IAA, Mini showed what that car might look like as it premiered the Mini Concept Electric. The paint job was exciting and different, and when it arrives next years, some Mini owners will demand the very same paint job because that's just how some Mini owners are. But as a preview of a new, all-electric version of a Mini-based urban car, the Mini Concept Electric hits all the right notes.
Two more concept cars were featured at Frankfurt, but we had already seen them before. The BMW Concept Z4 pretty much confirmed that the roadster is not dead at BMW, and the BMW Concept 8 Series was BMW's way of re-launching its high-end luxury coupe.
By our count, that was five concept cars, which is a lot for BMW; but then, CEO Krüger did say the company would be launching 40 new or Life Cycle Impulse models before the end of 2018.
Exciting new versions of established models also shared the stage at the 2017 IAA, including the BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle and the 6 Series Gran Turismo.
Speaking of new models, one in particular got everyone's heart racing, and that was the F90 2018 BMW M5 Sedan.
BMW i was busy at Frankfurt, showing off the Life Cycle Impulse BMW i3 and the first-ever BMW i3s, where the "s" stands for sport.
Even though the upcoming 8 Series Coupe was present in concept form only, a close cousin made a big flesh and blood appearance. The M8E is a pure racing version of the impending 8 Series and is specifically designed to compete in endurance racing. Like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Space for photos is limited here, but you may do an Internet search for BMW at the 2017 IAA for more pictures, and of course, Roundel Magazine will have more details on the show in upcoming print issues. BMW laid it on pretty thick at Frankfurt this year with concepts and new models. And we didn't even talk about technology and connectivity. It's an exciting time to be a BMW fan.—Scott Blazey
[Photo courtesy of BMW AG.]
