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BMW is taking aim at the future with an efficient, sleek and clean concept car design. The goals behind the design? To create a concept car that is both highly efficient in terms of mileage and carbon emissions without sacrificing that which makes a BMW a BMW.  They set out to make a car that was very sporty, had the ‘cool factor’, and was still environmentally friendly without sacrificing the power and quality that consumers have come to expect from BMW.   The results that they have arrived at, seem pretty hard to argue that it was anything other than a success.

Click the Image Above for a Youtube Video of the Car

The lightweight, plug-in hybrid car design affords roughly 350+ horsepower, and lets the user travel up to 50 km in the electric mode alone.  Furthermore it uses an advanced form of Brake Energy Regeneration in order to recharge the batteries while driving.  Using their knowledge gained from F1 Racing, they have put great effort into improving the aerodynamics of the car and reducing the weight, all in an effort to maximize fuel efficiency.  Despite all of the efforts towards ensuring such an energy efficient product, the power was not sacrificed in the least.  The BMW design is able to accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in a meager 4.8 seconds.

While one could expect that with such technical prowess, the overall aesthetic of the car may suffer as a result.  In this case, this could not be further from the truth.  While the overall look may not appeal to everyone (it does smack a bit of I, Robot), it undeniably exudes that ‘wow’ factor that is almost impossible to put into words.  The lit grill gives the car a personality and style that is easily marketable and leaves an impression on the consumer.   The Gull-Wing doors and super exaggerated windshield that extends over the top as the roof of the car, coupled with the full car length lighting, give it a futuristic air about it, without placing it in the category of ‘out of this world’.

BMW is showing the world that energy efficient and environmentally friendly cars do not have to look like SMART cars.  As a consumer, we are not required to sacrifice aesthetics in order to do our part to help the environment.  One look at this, and one look at a SMART car would leave most consumers wondering what they could possibly have in common.  BMW is wisely deciding that the best approach is not to scream and shout with the design aesthetics about how eco-friendly it is, but rather to have that be an added bonus to a car design that can stand on it’s own without those ‘green’ benefits.  The designs that subtly go about doing their part for the environment, rather than getting on their soapbox and preaching about it, tends to be the more successful products in the long run.  Consumers want a product that works well and does all the things it is supposed to, but they very rarely want to be preached to.