BMW Concept X7 iPerformance: An Emotional Redefinition of Luxury

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BMW’s reputation as a premiere automotive brand was established by an enduring commitment to the exhilaration and joy established between its cars and their drivers – an automaker whose design, technological innovations, and expressive engineering have always served an emotional experience delivered first and foremost by the connection between driver with pedals, wheels, and brake. Now, BMW sets out to achieve another level conceived to serve the highest segment in demand of an elevated experience of exclusive luxury – a brand within a brand of sorts, complete with its own newly designed monochromatic logo harkening to the manufacturer’s roundel first used 100 years ago: Bayerische Motoren Werke.

“For these people, life is all about making the best possible use of the time available to them,” says Hildegard Wortmann, Senior Vice President Brand BMW. “Their motto is ‘to own the moment’ – i.e. to max out every snap-shot of time with meaningful and beautiful things.”

It’s a brand concept serving the highest strata of buyer – the ones who travels by private jet, live in residences in the plural, and those with a collection of cars – the perpetually moving target of a luxurious life. This exclusive set is longer satiated by the old bounds of luxury, nor defined by ownership and the mere thrill of “how much?” BMW’s newly unveiled Bayerische Motoren Werke intends to deliver a contemporary redefinition of luxury, one where brand and product deliver an evocative ownership of the moment, in servitude of a unique lifestyle, and delivering an unparalleled pleasure, whether behind the steering wheel or as an occupant.

This would all be bluster and bombast if BMW didn’t have the cars to back up this new definition of luxury incorporating the thrill of driving with the emotion of luxury. Fortunately, the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance, unveiled at the recent IAA Cars 2017 show in Frankfurt, made it undeniably clear the BMW Group has the concrete means to turn its lofty philosophical principles into manufacturable models.

With a masculine of assemblage of horizontal lines running across its body against a vertical stature, the X7 Concept iPerformance’s exterior communicates a strong visual of a clenched jawline or engaged musculature. Turbine-like custom 23-inch aerodynamic alloy wheels imply the possibility that all surrounding air and breath will be sucked into their centers, while a sinister set of blue hued LED headlights glow with the confidence of the Ice King delivering the promise, “winter is coming.”

The new BMW design language employs just a few, extremely precise lines and subtle surface-work to raise the bar in terms of presence and prestige,” explains Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “The BMW Concept X7 iPerformance has a luxurious and sophisticated feel to it, thanks to its understated use of forms and incredibly precise details.

While a dynamic language of movement is represented by its exterior, the X7 Concept iPerformance’s interior is generously outfitted to accommodate up to six with a sophisticated and airy interior marked by carefully considered simplicity – elementary forms covered in the highest grade of materials delivering an interior aesthetic as pleasurable as “inbox zero”, all eblematic of the rationale of the simplified and monochromatic badging of Bayerische Motoren Werke. In an architectural sense, this is a minimalist pavilion on wheels, a cabin designed to welcome work or play, rest or focused productivity.

Additionally, a state-of-the-art infotainment system with connectivity features plays prominent in empowering driver and occupant to access information and entertainment without unnecessary hassle. There’s even the ability for occupants to share an interesting article to the next-door display to the person sitting alongside them to read; the flow of information shared is represented by an interactive LED choreography displayed across the doors and instrument panel, following exchanges between the rear screens and the front cabin display. In this regard, the X7 Concept iPerformance encompasses the Bayerische Motoren Werke signifier by not only symbolizing the statement of luxury, but serving the lifestyle and habits of those inhabiting its hemisphere.

In addition to the X7 Concept iPerformance, the BMW 7 Series and the new BMW 8 Series, as well as the BMW i8 and new BMW i8 Roadster, will represent the highest luxury segment of the BMW brand also bearing the redesigned signet emblazoned with “Bayerische Motoren Werke” written in full, each communicated the history and future of BMW cannot be fully contained by the three letters of its existing moniker any longer.

from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/bmw-concept-x7-iperformance-an-emotional-redefinition-of-luxury/