Behind every luminary car design decision, there’s a guiding principle. Whether it’s the original M3 and the thought of having a road-going motorsport-ready vehicle or something a bit more practical, every great vehicle has a singular vision behind it. With the new BMW Vision Neue Klasse, it gets even more granular: the lights themselves are products of one creative thought bubble. Two ideas charge the BMW Vision Neue Klasse’s truly futuristic lighting pattern: clarity and expression.
BMW Light Design: Where It’s Been, Where It’s Going
“It’s about the value of the experience and not about using technology just for the sake of it,” Thomas Binder says. He’s the Project Lead Light Design at BMW Group. But that does fall a little short of serving justice to the iconic BMW lighting signatures of the past. After all, who could possibly forget the iconic halos of the early 2000s? Regardless, the “characteristic four-eyed face” (as BMW puts it) of a BMW vehicle remains immediately recognizable to this day. But the Neue Klasse brings it into the modern world.
While many modern BMWs offer a neat little light dance when you unlock them, the Neue Klasse escalates the situation. A signature sound accompanies a three-dimensional effect, making for an unmistakably unique experience. BMW claims that the lights – eventually – will even respond to each season, location, and drive time. Citing the power of artificial intelligence and well-groomed customer data, the spectrum ranges from eye-catching light displays to discreet greetings.
What the BMW Vision Neue Klasse Lights Can Do For You
It’s not a bunch of vaporware; the lights can already tell you a lot about the vehicle before you hop behind the wheel. They can indicate which driver profile is set and the current charge status just by looking at the grille. The merging of physical and digital worlds is a key goal for BMW, and the Vision Neue Klasse lights do a great job of illustrating it. BMW claims that the Vision Neue Klasse is no longer just a machine but a “companion and partner.”
Key to understanding BMW’s design decision is recognizing that the headlights have always played an integral role in the personality and presence of a BMW. Laser lights are a great example. BMW claims that the recent developments in laser lights create completely new technical and aesthetic possibilities. A drive to succeed – “fueled by courage and open-mindedness,” quoth the Bavarians – allows them to continue to search for exotic lighting solutions.
BMW lighting signatures have always played a role in the automaker’s history. The Vision Neue Klasse offers what is sure to be a highly optimized version of what we see in production vehicles. But – at least from here – it seems like we can’t possibly be disappointed. Here’s hoping the hardworking teams of designers and aesthetic masterminds live up to our expectations.
[Source: BMW]
