Deutsch

Just did some hard thinking and looking today as I was driving around town and looking at various cars and their designs, along the way I came across many a new 3, 5, 6, and 7 series. The designs are quite radical and at this time for the most part work well, but looking at these cars another ten years down the road(this can be done mentally using the right methods - not hard) these designs will look quite out of place, if not funny? Who's to say as we're not quite there yet, but this is a very serious and real question relevant to these designs. I've heard many in and out of the auto industry talk about this, and in truth I'm leaning towards the side that the designs will not age well. What are your thoughts?

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Mr. Mercedes

Very good question Stuttgarter. I'm thinking that perhaps the vehicles with the conventionally attractive designs, i.e the ones with good, traditional and attractive proportions, such as the 5 and 3, will stand the test of time better than the others. As for how the design details will hold out, I honestly have no idea. Maybe it depends on the design outcomes of the next generation of BMW vehicles?

Deutsch

Actually I find the 3ers design cues to be more off from the pervious generation car, while the 5er is a total brake from tradition giving off the impression that it was styled by Lexus and not BMW, w/ the character line(or lack there of). If you take a look at the 3er's tailamps it can be seen that they're more of an oversight than a fine well placed feature, the former something typical of many Japenese designs. Also, the shutlines on many of the cars don't line up very well and give off a cheap quality of an unrefined design. Unfortunate that this should happen, I think we all should have a gathering at Chris Bangles front door.

Matt

Today I was driving on the high way and I saw an A6 for the first time in person. I honestly thought the car was nice but looking at it again and again, I realized it was rather plain. Unfortunately so many companies try to make their cars simple and appealing but in the end look dull and bland. You take cars like the pre E39 5 series. They were nice cars, not painful to look at, but they're bland. The Mili Miglia 328 was bold in its day and a little controversial but still looks great today. I think in the future well kept BMW's will still be good looking because their bold today. Their modern style may fit in to the era of the future. (excuse the cletae)

Mirage77

It's hard to say. There are so many generations of BMW cars. But I know the old BMWs are still desirable because I want a old 3 Series.

Isn't BMW designs ahead of its time? If that is so, then their cars should hold well into the future. But think about this; the next generation of BMWs will probably push the designs one step ahead of everyone else, so technically they are never 'old'. But ironically enough the Bangle designs are starting to look common already as car design gets more radical.

However I do feel that cars like the E46 3 Series have quite a timeless design that I'm sure will stay desirable for many years to come.

Hypersonic

It goes without saying that in ten years time the current BMW lineup will look out of date, but so will the current Audis and Mercedes-Benzes. I don't think we should worry too much about that - BMW's current design vocabulary will continue to evolve. In ten years we will probably be able to chart a clear progression in the evolution of the design of their cars - that's unless they decide to fire Bangle and his colleagues and go in another completely different direction - but I can't see that happening.....can you?

Imhotep Evil

People, the only automotive designs in the auto industry that for sure will last are those of Porsche and MINI.

The Artist

Yeah and pagani

Beemer B773ER

I personally think that in 10 or so years, the current BMW designs won't look dated or out of place at all.

BMW have started a trend with their daring designs, and it's fairly evident in more and more cars these days.
Firstly, I see and endless number of vehicles adopting something similar to the Bangle butt seen on the 7er and 6er where a deep line cuts between the lights and the actually boot. Honestly, I'm seeing it more and more, ..ofcourse not to the extent that the 7er/6er do it, but nonetheless, it is very simple to see where these designs drew their inspiration from.


From my point of view, there is a very good reason why they don't line up exactly, and that is because the designs would look rather boring and dull. As Matt suggested with the A6, ...it's a very nicely done car, but the design is rather boring and conservative (but that's the Audi way). For BMW, they believe in the saying: "Statement is sometimes better than Understatement", ..so in that sense, their designs are more than simply a radical look.
They symbolise BMW's intentions to try and be a trend-setter, ..to highlight their innovative ambitions and their distinctive characteristic of providing vehicles that have the "Sheer Driving Pleasure" DNA.

Love it or hate it, BMW designs are very much a statement and symbolism of BMW's intentions for the future, ...so in that sense,... no, I don't think the current BMW line-up will look out of place, ..rather on the contrary in my opinion actually.
We're now seeing Mercedes-Benz move away from their 'cute and luxury only' look, to a mix of 'luxury and sportiness', especially seen with the S-class having the elegant lines of the Maybach in terms of the rear-end, but also having aggressive wheel arches and the crease along the side of the car.

That's my opinion on it all, ...so no flaming by anyone just because I mentioned the S-class.

Porsche Guy

It's hard to determine what cars will look good 10 years from now. What will be the popular design theme in the decades to follow? A lot of cars that I thought looked great 10 years ago (and weren't nearly as controversial as new BMWs) look horrible/dated today. I think an interesting thing about BMWs is that their design is so different from all other cars that this may help to keep their design from showing its age, somewhat. As their designs don't follow convention, they are less susceptible to looking out of place as popular design shifts. Of course how well BMWs age also depends on future BMW designs.

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