Deep Orange is not a top-secret government project, nor is it a code name for a mysterious information source. It is much cooler than that: Deep Orange 4 is a BMW X3-based concept vehicle built by Clemson University students.
More than just a variation, Deep Orange 4 picks up where the X3 leaves off—literally. It’s a pickup. At first glance, the vehicle looks much more like an X4 Sport Activity Coupe than a basic X3. But looking further, the vehicle contains some very un-X4-like features.
Such as the large, glass, sloping rear window. Look closer; it slides. Retract the glass to reveal an open cargo bed.
Next, observe the fold-down rear tailgate. Oh wait, it doesn’t fold down like a normal X3. This tailgate is split vertically in the middle with each half opening sideways for closer access when loading things into the cargo bay.
Deep Orange 4 was developed by graduate automotive engineering students at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), which is located in Greenville, South Carolina, just a few minutes away from the BMW Plant Spartanburg (and even closer to BMW CCA headquarters, for that matter). CU-ICAR defines the project as “a versatile vehicle that targets the niche market of performance-oriented SUV customers who want both best-in-class utility/space and an aggressive sporty design.”
In addition to developing the concept vehicle, the students were tasked by BMW Manufacturing to come up with a cost-efficient manufacturing plan that would enable BMW to build a low-volume vehicle without having an adverse impact on normal production. Don’t look for this variant to appear in the BMW catalog anytime soon. It is a graduate student concept car, after all, and there hasn’t been a huge demand for BMW pickups lately.
“The ability to integrate more low-volume models without incurring capital-intensive retooling costs and efficiency losses will be key to success in the future as we strive to respond to changes in market needs faster and with more flexibility,” explained Rich Morris, BMW Manufacturing’s vice president of assembly. “The students working on this phase of the project did an excellent job of keeping costs down while finding optimal integration opportunities.”
The CU-ICAR students were able to take advantage of a new kind of prototyping. Design engineers used to create metal parts by first building the dies or stamps, or relying on extensive machining. For the Deep Orange 4, the entire upper part of the prototype vehicle was built using 3D rapid prototype FDM parts (Fused Deposition Modeling or 3D printing) from Redeye on Demand. Deep Orange 4 was the first CU-ICAR project to use rapid prototyping.
Normally, if you saw someone trying to turn a BMW into a pickup truck so as to be able to haul shrubbery, you’d probably think you were watching an episode of Top Gear. While that may someday happen, it’s not the case here. Deep Orange 4 is another example of BMW supporting the education of automotive engineering students in a unique and yes—fun—way. And who knows? With BMW’s proliferation of models, maybe a pickup isn’t out of the question.—Scott Blazey
Enjoy some Deep Orange 4 videos:
Loading the BMW Deep Orange 4.
Creating the BMW Deep Orange 4.
The BMW Manufacturing and Clemson University partnership.
[Photos and video courtesy of Clemson University.]
