I’ve gone on record—and I’m probably the only one—to say that I like the BMW i Vision Dee. I think it’s a great looking little car, with classic sedan proportions and a design that’s reminiscent of E12 5 Series. That 5 Series, by the way, was a car designed by Paul Bracq and Marcello Gandini. While the Dee isn’t a production-ready concept, it’s very likely the precursor to the concept car that will eventually become the Neue Klasse of sedans (I know, that’s quite a bit of mental hoop jumping). So this new render shows off what an electric Neue Klasse-based 3 Series would look like if it used Dee’s styling.
This render isn’t revolutionary, it’s just a blue Dee with BMW mirrors, i4 door handles, and a license plate. However, I actually really dig it. If BMW makes the next-generation electric 3 Series look anything like this, it will have one of the most unique and interesting looking sport sedans on the market. It would also be a complete break from BMW’s current design language, which would make it stand out from the crowd.
The Dee gets a lot of hate from BMW enthusiasts for being a boring electric, highly-autonomous, ultra-techy concept. However, the actual car won’t have all of that absurd tech but instead will just have the design. And that design is actually one of the more traditional looking BMW designs in recent memory.
Take a look at the Dee in profile. Its aggressively raked C-pillar and Hofmeister Kink give it real E12 5 Series vibes, as do its short overhangs and sharknose front end. Speaking of sharknose front ends, when was the last time we actually got such a thing from BMW? Fans love to idolize old sharknose BMWs but the concept that finally brought it back was the much-maligned Dee. Like all good BMW sedans, Dee also has surprisingly upright windows and tall glass, bringing in tons of natural light and helping with visibility. Also, take a look at its hood line, which plunges down toward the ground, which will make forward visibility excellent.
I’m almost certainly in the minority but I really want BMW to make the next-gen 3 Series look just like this render. I’m cool with the grill/headlight conversion, so long as the rest of the car looks like this. If the next-gen 3er is all-electric and looks like this render, it will very likely be my first electric car.
[Source: Motor1]
