he BMW Group has chosen Auto Guangzhou 2015, one of the largest international motor shows in China, to present a very special new development to the global public: the company’s vision of a four-door sedan for the compact segment. As great growth potential can be seen in the Chinese premium compact market, BMW has conducted in-depth observation and research for the segment’s development trends and target customers. The BMW Concept Compact Sedan represents the approach to life of a generation of youth in China. These potential customers are confident, dynamic and extremely quality-conscious and have a feel for aesthetics.
The compact and agile exterior of the BMW Concept Compact Sedan creates a familiar sedan silhouette based around a striking three-box design. Hallmark BMW proportions imbue the car with a dynamic allure unrivalled in its segment. Its sweeping bonnet and long wheelbase stretch the car visually, while the slightly set-back greenhouse further underlines its sporting nature. The clever use of time-honoured BMW elements, such as a long, prominent swage line, dynamic Hofmeister kink and surfaces moulded with impressive depth, ensures the car cuts an athletic figure from the side and highlights its relationship with other BMW vehicles. The four doors are integrated harmoniously into its proportions and allow easy entry for the driver and all passengers. Discreet soft-touch handles below the swage line open the doors as soon as a finger touches their metal surface.
Precise edges and contours form dynamically chiselled surfaces, reflecting an assured interplay between light and shade that lends sculptural depth to the flanks of the car and conjures images of tensed muscles. The flared wheel arches rise out clearly from the body as it tapers in towards the road and further strengthen the impression of athletic intent. The exclusive exterior paint shade Liquid Metal Bronze adheres to the surfaces of the body like cast metal. The fine pigments in the paint shift between light and dark depending on the incidence of light, showcasing the car’s attention-grabbing design language to maximum effect. The window surrounds and the weather strip-style exterior mirror stalks in polished aluminium are a classy flourish, while the exclusive 20-inch light-alloy wheels in intricate double-spoke design form a visual highlight with their bi-colour design and set the seal on the side view.
The designers have emphasised the width of the slim front end and ensured it picks up the sporting baton from the car’s flanks. Its signature kidney grille and eye-catching twin circular headlights instantly identify the BMW Concept Compact Sedan as a BMW. The familiar form of the kidneys and their size convey the car’s distinctive character: a seamless fusion of agility, sportiness and elegance. The hexagonal, dynamically “sawn-off” twin circular LED headlights on either side point inwards towards the kidney grille, creating a visual link between the kidneys and headlights that lends the car a purposeful look. The V-shaped central air intake is the starting point for a pervading design theme which splits the lower section of the front end into three sections and gives it a broader appearance. Surfaces merging into one another and stacked in different layers, and the interplay of those levels, lend extra depth and dynamism to the design.
All the technical features of the BMW Concept Compact Sedan are integrated into its interior design with polish and refinement. Mechanical operating elements modelled to flawless ergonomic effect – such as the climate system controls, gearshift lever and iDrive system – extend from the super-smooth surfaces. All the other functions on the steering wheel, centre stack, centre console and door openers are operated using backlit touch-sensitive surfaces, whose high-gloss black surfaces provide a highly exclusive interior ambience when switched off. In addition, a “combiner” Head-Up Display and 8.8-inch screen in the central information display contain all the information required at any one time.
