[3RDSECTOR]

Originally Posted by Masander

We want a real BMW not a fucking cheap ass active tourer plastic bubble from the future

It's almost like BMW currently builds what you consider "real" BMWs.

[3RDSECTOR]

Originally Posted by bobloblaw

What exactly is woke about this? BMW is here to make money, and not embracing electrification cost them a competitive advantage they had in developing the i3/i8 years ago and got the last CEO shitcanned.

They label anything they don't like, or anything seen as remotely progressive as "woke". It's a term they use un-ironically and I enjoy it because it lets you know that they basically have the mentality of a caveman and it's a waste of your time to interact with them.

[dr_frankfurter]

Originally Posted by bobloblaw

What exactly is woke about this? BMW is here to make money, and not embracing electrification cost them a competitive advantage they had in developing the i3/i8 years ago and got the last CEO shitcanned.

It's no secret their marketing team is targeting modern, "woke" audiences with their eco-friendly cars like this one. Same deal with Mercedes. Just look at their Instagram posts and you'll see what I mean. They're catering to the eco-woke people over the driving enthusiasts. I don't see Porsche making horrible looking blobs with recycled materials for the sake of competing with Tesla.

[AMB]

When the concepts of 2011 look more beautiful and future forward, BMW has progressed ZERO in 10 years.

https://www.dezeen.com/2011/09/07/i3...oncept-by-bmw/




Hell the Vision EfficientDynamics reveal was in 2009...
https://www.motortrend.com/vehicle-g...amics-concept/

Such a shame.

[advantage20]

Originally Posted by 3RDSECTOR

They label anything they don't like, or anything seen as remotely progressive as "woke". It's a term they use un-ironically and enjoy it because it lets you know they basically have the mentality of a caveman and it's a waste of your time to interact with them.

No, it just means that it looks like the product (it's hard calling this a car) ticks all the boxes of political correctness:

• Tries looking extremely green and recyclable (not a bad thing per se, but everyone knows the unspoken truths of electricity and electric battery production, or of producing cars in China then shipping them around the world by extremely dirty cargo ships)
• Looks tame and inoffensive like your herbivore household pet
• Has pretty much zero charm/excitement factor (not exactly great for a BMW) aside from the usual technological and visual trickery of a concept-car
• And again, tries very hard looking like a generic, forgettable and replaceable consumer product/household appliance (sneaker, vacuum cleaner...) instead of a car (which will typically try having a well proportioned body and a sporty stance, will bear some sort of human/animal face analogy, and will try eliciting at least a little bit of passion).

Indeed this thing is unequivocally and un-ironically "woke", in the same sense a "woke" individual walks on eggshells watching his speech trying not to "offend" category X, gender Y or color Z and ultimately ends up being completely transparent and devoid of personality. One doesn't need to be an unrefined loudmouth eating raw meat, drinking cheap beer and driving a dirty V8 truck with bumper stickers and a horn hood ornament to be able to see this.

Technology evolution and style evolution aren't bad per se, but they aren't good per se either if executed poorly -- simply calling this "progressive" won't magically turn it into a home run, that is a trick word they are throwing around whenever they are trying to get away with something questionable like the 5GT and it won't suddenly make it a work of art. Conversely, Tesla's next roadster or entry-level compact/city car will certainly be extremely progressive technologically but won't look like a dinosaur turd. It's a marketing choice and BMW have clearly made theirs: they are totally fine turning away their loyal petrolhead customer base during the energy transition, and replacing it with an entirely new clientele that isn't really into cars but eagerly responds to product trends and virtue self-qualifying.

[Germanauto]

Sometimes I wish I were a Gen Xer that way by the time these turds hit the market I will have enjoyed the glory days of ICE cars and be too old to care.

For better or worse this is a reflection of the natural evolution of technology. It started with computers, progressed to handheld devices, then progressed to computers within handheld devices. Social media came, smartphones came down in price, and now we are seeing cars progress to smartphones on wheels. The next big thing will be AI, autonomous driving systems, subscription services, and possibly a shift from personal car ownership to subscription-based autonomous EV pods.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by dr_frankfurter

It's no secret their marketing team is targeting modern, "woke" audiences with their eco-friendly cars like this one. Same deal with Mercedes. Just look at their Instagram posts and you'll see what I mean. They're catering to the eco-woke people over the driving enthusiasts. I don't see Porsche making horrible looking blobs with recycled materials for the sake of competing with Tesla.

Unfortunately that's just how my generation is, or at least how we are perceived. Our viewpoints on literally everything seem to be the complete opposite of prior generations. Enthusiasm for driving is viewed as weird and/or committing to climate change.

[jdhiro]

Yikes.

Aren't concept cars supposed to be unreasonably cool because they have no mass production constraints? This follows the pattern of BMW concepts going down the derpy hole.

I'm so sad about this direction.

[wlad67]

really sad almost all automakers have only been developing terrible cars recently

[3RDSECTOR]

Originally Posted by advantage20

No, it just means that it looks like the product (it's hard calling this a car) ticks all the boxes of political correctness:

• Tries looking extremely green and recyclable (not a bad thing per se, but everyone knows the unspoken truths of electricity and electric battery production, or of producing cars in China then shipping them around the world by extremely dirty cargo ships)
• Looks tame and inoffensive like your herbivore household pet
• Has pretty much zero charm/excitement factor (not exactly great for a BMW) aside from the usual technological and visual trickery of a concept-car
• And again, tries very hard looking like a generic, forgettable and replaceable consumer product/household appliance (sneaker, vacuum cleaner...) instead of a car (which will typically try having a well proportioned body and a sporty stance, will bear some sort of human/animal face analogy, and will try eliciting at least a little bit of passion).

Indeed this thing is unequivocally and un-ironically "woke", in the same sense a "woke" individual walks on eggshells watching his speech trying not to "offend" category X, gender Y or color Z and ultimately ends up being completely transparent and devoid of personality. One doesn't need to be an unrefined loudmouth eating raw meat, drinking cheap beer and driving a dirty V8 truck with bumper stickers and a horn hood ornament to be able to see this.

Technology evolution and style evolution aren't bad per se, but they aren't good per se either if executed poorly -- simply calling this "progressive" won't magically turn it into a home run, that is a trick word they are throwing around whenever they are trying to get away with something questionable like the 5GT and it won't suddenly make it a work of art. Conversely, Tesla's next roadster or entry-level compact/city car will certainly be extremely progressive technologically but won't look like a dinosaur turd. It's a marketing choice and BMW have clearly made theirs: they are totally fine turning away their loyal petrolhead customer base during the energy transition, and replacing it with an entirely new clientele that isn't really into cars but eagerly responds to product trends and virtue self-qualifying.

It's not a matter of political correctness, and to each of your points:

1. First of all BMW doesn't use rare earth metals in the production of their batteries like every other automaker that manufacturers EVs. So there is no "political correctness" there, BMW actually walks the walk. In comparison to the industry standard BMW is a clean as you are going to get.

2. BMWs have never been known to be wild, aggressive or "in your face" per se. They have always been handsome understated vehicles. This car fits that description.

3. It has "zero charm" to you. It is an elegant take on the modern small city car. Basically it's an improved take on cars like the i3 and the Isetta.

4. Styling changes in cars, or for that matter any consumer products are inevitable. I'm sure there were people with your exactly mentality in 50s when the long tail-finned cruisers gave way to boxy sedans, muscle and pony cars. Also, the purpose of this BMW in particular seems to be totally lost on you. This is not built to be the next M car that's in search of lap records to demolish. It's a city car built as a runabout.

It's not about trying to "not offend" it's simply one living their life in a way that takes into consideration the feelings, emotions, and struggles of others. Basically it's being a unselfish and decent human being, but that's obviously too much to ask from some. And nowhere did I imply that one had to be a stereotypical "Kyle" in order to blame anything they don't like on the wokeness boogieman. There are plenty of steakhouse regulars that are BMW enthusiast who are vehemently resistant to change because they are extremely comfortable with the way thing are and have a deep fondness for the status quo.

There is nothing wrong with a brand expanding it's net in search of new clientele. The vast majority of the time, the very car that enthusiast hate and rally against with fervorous passion are the very vehicles that fund the R&D budget for cars they actually enjoy and desire to obtain. Life gets better when you can simply enjoy things for what they are instead of seeing a massive conspiracy in every aspect of life.

[advantage20]

Originally Posted by 3RDSECTOR

It's not a matter of political correctness, and to each of your points:

1. First of all BMW doesn't use rare earth metals in the production of their batteries like every other automaker that manufacturers EVs. So there is no "political correctness" there, BMW actually walks the walk. In comparison to the industry standard BMW is a clean as you are going to get.

2. BMWs have never been known to be wild, aggressive or "in your face" per se. They have always been handsome understated vehicles. This car fits that description.

3. It has "zero charm" to you. It is an elegant take on the modern small city car. Basically it's an improved take on cars like the i3 and the Isetta.

4. Styling changes in cars, or for that matter any consumer products are inevitable. I'm sure there were people with your exactly mentality in 50s when the long tail-finned cruisers gave way to boxy sedans, muscle and pony cars. Also, the purpose of this BMW in particular seems to be totally lost on you. This is not built to be the next M car that's in search of lap records to demolish. It's a city car built as a runabout.

It's not about trying to "not offend" it's simply one living their life in a way that takes into consideration the feelings, emotions, and struggles of others. Basically it's being a unselfish and decent human being, but that's obviously too much to ask from some. And nowhere did I imply that one had to be a stereotypical "Kyle" in order to blame anything they don't like on the wokeness boogieman. There are plenty of steakhouse regulars that are BMW enthusiast who are vehemently resistant to change because they are extremely comfortable with the way thing are and have a deep fondness for the status quo.

There is nothing wrong with a brand expanding it's net in search of new clientele. The vast majority of the time, the very car that enthusiast hate and rally against with fervorous passion are the very vehicles that fund the R&D budget for cars they actually enjoy and desire to obtain. Life gets better when you can simply enjoy things for what they are instead of seeing a massive conspiracy in every aspect of life.

BMW does seem like they are making extra efforts for the production of the batteries themselves and that is laudable, but as I've pointed out, the whole cycle of production and distribution, and especially the generation of electricity that isn't magically pulled out of thin air but is still mostly being produced with dirty methods, isn't nearly as green as it portrays itself to be. I'm not against it per se because we all know electric and hydrogen will ultimately be the way to go (there is no comparing with the short-sighted luddites from the early 20th c.), but the forced abruptness of the transition, the unbelievable demonization of ICE and the ridiculous taxation for instance in the EU, are totally out of balance with the alleged greenness of today's electric powered cars.

Regular non-M BMWs have never been too wild and rambunctious and in your face, sure, but the choice doesn't have to be limited to either a bloodthirsty beast or a soap box; up until recently, BMWs have typically had a sensual feline look with an understated aggressiveness to them, that has evolved over the decades while remaining instantly recognizable (think E24, E36, E39, E60, G20...). It seems like it won't be the case anymore, and that isn't fatality but an admitted design philosophy and marketing strategy -- again, Tesla proves you can ride the technological wave while maintaining a sleek and elegant style if you so choose. You are free to like pod-like people movers but that's not what BMW claims its soul is about; hopefully this concept only prefigures a limited number of models and not the entire lineup's design language, this remains to be seen so I won't yet throw stones at them, but what can be made out from the Vision Next 100 or the Vision M Next isn't exactly enthralling.

Change just for the sake of change isn't any better than no change for the sake of no change when not being offered a convincing alternative. Change for the sake of change would be another principle of "wokeness" which this car completely embraces. As already pointed out, it seems like BMW aren't only looking for clientele expansion but are in fact totally fine with a complete renewal i.e. getting rid of their car enthusiast base and replacing it with trendy product worshippers. Once again, this is an openly admitted strategy (see Dukec's interviews, "no icons", "no dogmas", etc., which really means "no principles") and as a business they are free to hop on this bandwagon; but they can only keep milking for so long what made them and what they've been standing for (feline design, "Sheer Driving Pleasure", etc.) until the incongruence becomes blatant, and at that point, good luck competing with younger, fresher, start-up companies that will be even more advanced in the appliance-like design paradigm, without the precious heritage component that BMW is now eagerly flushing down the drain.

[Blindside_137]

BMW and Audi Instagram posts about the future visions within a couple hours of each other.

One is trying too hard

[Mani59]

Domagoj Dukec, head of design at BMW explains the BMW i Vision Circular design.

Turning the principles of circular economy into a vision car, that is sustainable and desirable at once. The BMW i Vision Circular is part of a holistic mobility concept which was created specifically for the IAA in Munich, Learn from Domagoj Dukec, Head of BMW Design, how the BMW i Vision Circular was created with the principles of circular economy in mind and join our visionary outlook on the potentials of a circular economy and sustainable mobility.

[pikcachu]

This should be RE-cycled

[advantage20]

PS: as expected, the concept is filled with creative individual solutions for maximizing the use of recycled materials, innovative interfacing and impressive visual trickery in the interior; but all of the above could just as well have been embedded within an esthetically more appealing exterior package and a better sense of lineage/identity instead of looking like a shoe box or a piece of cubist artwork -- it doesn't have to be one or the other extremes. The 2009 Vision Efficient Dynamics still looks so fresh and fit in comparison.

Again, it remains to be seen whether this particular concept deliberately takes it too far in the pod direction to make a statement or indeed announces the general direction the brand's design language is going towards.

[phoenixbmwlife]

Y'all miss me yet?

[lcs1956]

Originally Posted by Blindside_137

BMW and Audi Instagram posts about the future visions within a couple hours of each other.

One is trying too hard

Can anyone guess the gender of the pink flamingo wafting in and out of the woke wagon?

[3RDSECTOR]

Originally Posted by lcs1956

Can anyone guess the gender of the pink flamingo wafting in and out of the woke wagon?

What a miserable existence. I couldn't imagine living a life where everything gets under my skin.

[ABenLauda]

What is this new abomination from BMW?

[3RDSECTOR]

Originally Posted by Blindside_137

BMW and Audi Instagram posts about the future visions within a couple hours of each other.

One is trying too hard

It's almost as if there was an international auto show this week where manufacturers showed off concepts of future products.

[pikcachu]

Meanwhile……

[petrolhead.]

Good news - activists are demonstrating against the new design language of BMW!