BMW i new sub brand - Born Electric

When BMW boldly announced the arrival of a 'new kind of movement', in the shape of its BMW i sub-brand, it made pretty sure that the designs that will carry this innovative range of electric cars into the global market were a clear cut above the rest.

In a classic case of form following function, BMW's design division, led by Adrian van Hooydonk, has given the two BMW i launch models a crisp distinctiveness, with bitingly sharp form that shrink wrap around the unique carbon fibre passenger cell. Although the i3 city car and the i8 sport coupe show clear signs of the BMW family genes, there's also something thrillingly new in place. Futurism never felt so real.

April: The Brief

Wallpaper* and BMW i are giving six creative teams the opportunity to help write the future of their urban environment. The cities of the 20th century were shaped by transport, public and private; the challenge of the 21st is to keep Megacities moving. Over the course of six months, Sustainable Neighbourhoods will explore, chronicle and research six different city zones, with the aim of defining a new infrastructural, cultural or social project that will scale seamlessly into the future.

The possibilities are endless. Wallpaper and BMW i are looking for innovative thinking, a combination of pragmatism and panache that seeks out space and opportunity for change for the better. From infrastructure to personal future mobility, the unseen heart of the city, through to cultural or social initiatives that harness existing technologies or propose entirely new ones, this project is about seeking new ways of developing and sustaining communities in the heart of the Megacity, integrating transport, services, life, work, design and the urban fabric.

June: The Research

All around the world, some of the brightest student minds have been exploring the near urban future. BMW i's Sustainable Neighbourhoods Project is about how cities evolve, and the role of technology, design and creativity in shaping how future demands will shape the way we live in cities right around the world. This project has been one of the largest creative collaborations wallpaper has ever undertaken, and our team has travelled around the world to oversee the initial research, from Paris to Hangzhou, Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Tokyo.

For the first stage, Wallpaper* and BMW i, together with course leaders at each of the selected schools, have tasked their student teams with a mighty research job, scouring their nearest megacity for a suitable neighbourhood case study to act as a catalyst for creative thinking about how short term cultural and technological evolution will have an impact on the way we live tomorrow.

BMW i. Manifesto.

A new kind of movement has arrived.
A movement that defines our future.

It’s pure, progressive shapes fascinate us.
It’s lightening performance energizes us.

It’s intelligent applications and services help us relax.
And its unparalleled use of sustainable technology
reflects our desire to live responsibly.

It combines what we know with what we dream of,
the possible with the impossible.

It combines what is good for us with what is good
for our planet.

This is a new world of revolutionary mobility.

This is BMW i. Born Electric.

 

Mission statement: Benoit Jacob, Head of BMW i Design

 

BMW i promotional video

 

Video projection for
the launch of BMW i

What a night. Two days before the launch of BMW i, a breathtaking installation was projected on to the BMW Tower, BMW Museum and BMW Welt in Munich, showing moods of the new sub-brand.

 

 

The solar charging station Point.One makes emission-free mobility part of daily experience in the city and therefore also in society. It provides an attractive solution to the challenging interaction between people, their cars and solar energy.

MINI E – First BMW Group e-Mobility Test Project

The MINI E set new technical standards for e-mobility, with an average driving range of 150 kilometres in everyday operation and maximum power of 204 hp – a pioneering step on the Project i road to CO2-neutral performance driving.