BMW revealed the striking new Vision Future Luxury Concept at last week’s Beijing Auto Show. It’s aimed at taking BMW’s “thinking on modern luxury a logical stage further,” according to Adrian van Hooydonk, the Senior VP of BMW design. The BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept is clearly indicative of what is to come of the BMW brand in the next five years. With this significant unveil has come questions surrounding whether this svelte concept will be the basis for the BMW 9-series, a hyperluxury sedan capable of competing with the likes of Bentley and Rolls Royce.
No details have surfaced about the powertrain for the BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept, but it’s certain that it wears an impressive suite of technology. The car is equipped with a digital, customizable instrument cluster that wraps around seamlessly to the center multimedia display, a head-up display with traffic and stoplight phase information, and complete voice control of every multimedia function. In addition, the passenger and rear seat occupants each receive their own multimedia displays, both of which can take advantage of the vehicle’s ConnectedDrive capabilities with gaming, streaming, and even booking opera tickets just a few taps away.
To complete the luxury experience in the BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept, designers focused intensely on the rear seat experience. Hand-stitched aniline leather, a retractable rear table, angled Rear Seat Displays, and full silk carpets make for a luxurious, modern ambiance in the second row that can exceed that of any British rival. The Vision Concept’s slew of technological features continues to the exterior, where BMW’s Laserlight headlight system, producing beams that are purportedly ten times stronger than LED beams, are present next to the signature twin-kidney grill.
BMW was clearly concerned about fuel efficiency with the Vision Concept, as it would enter a class where thirsty, large-displacement W/V12s are the norm. The vehicle gets a dose of BMW’s well-known EfficientDynamics weight-saving/aerodynamics, with an Air Breather system at the rear of the front wheel arch, carbon air deflectors on the front bumper, and a design that makes for a minimal drag coefficient. Aluminum and carbon fiber abound throughout the body and construction, meaning that the Vision Concept, when in production, will likely be one of the most efficient vehicles in its class.
The BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept packs the style, luxury, and prestige to compete with some of the world’s greatest luxury marques so it wouldn’t be surprising if a modified version made it to production as the 9-series. Stay tuned on TFLcar.com during the coming months for announcements on production of the Vision Concept.
Please enjoy this TFLcar.com video review of another upscale BMW, the 2012 650i xDrive.
Frank caught automotive fever early in life. Hailing from a long line of car fanatics, he was able to recite the year and model of every car that passed him by age five. His passion and love for the automobile have only grown since then. When not thinking about cars, he is reading, writing, learning, or dreaming about them. His area of expertise is in the realm of German and Italian cars, of which Porsche is a favorite. Frank currently resides in the heart of NASCAR country in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his family. He enjoys driving exotic cars in the beautiful Carolina weather.
