Shanghai Auto Show: BMW surprises us with CS Concept

[Andrew 30]

As we mentioned before, BMW is planning to bring back the 8-Series as a four-door coupe to compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Audi’s upcoming A7. Well today, BMW surprised everyone at the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show with a new four-door coupe concept called the BMW CS Concept, which is very close to the rendering we showed you previously. Measuring longer than the BMW 7-Series at 5.10 metres or 200.8 inches the BMW CS Concept, when put into production, is expected to be powered by a 6.0 liter V12 engine. We can also expect a V8 and V10 variant as well. Check out BMW’s huge press release after the jump.

BMW CS Concept Gallery:

Press Release:

Entering a New Dimension: The BMW Concept CS.

BMW Concept CS

Introducing the BMW Concept CS, Germany’s leading manufacturer

of premium automobiles is presenting the vision of a unique four-door

car which combines the exclusivity of a genuine luxury Gran Turismo

with the fascinating thrill of a high-performance sports car. This unique

combination never seen before offers the perspective to enjoy sheer

driving pleasure in a dimension quite unprecedented in the world of

motoring. Indeed, the BMW Concept CS is a new definition of design

culture. Concentrating on powerful, expressive design, materials of

the highest quality, and quality of finish in perfection, this unique new

model offers a completely new understanding of premium quality.

And within its interior, the BMW Concept CS combines stylish luxury

with the most uncompromising ambience full of class and value.

Through its design alone, the BMW Concept CS underlines the

supreme skill and competence of the BMW brand in developing the

most sporting and dynamic cars offering ample space for more than

two occupants. The most spectacular rendition of this heritage at

BMW is the BMW M5, which established a brand-new segment in the

world of motoring more than two decades ago and is acknowledged

to this day as the benchmark in high-performance saloon motoring.

BMW Concept CS side

Now the know-how BMW has acquired over the years and decades

comes together with the worldwide fame of the company as a

manufacturer of premium automobiles, the BMW Concept CS thus

offering the best of both worlds.

BMW is using the skills and competence established over such

a long time to combine the most fascinating highlights of sporting

performance and sophisticated luxury in an unprecedented new

concept. Hence, the BMW Concept CS impressively proves how the

successful strategy of the sporting four-door may be carried over

consistently into the luxury performance segment.

Exterior design: where qualities typical of BMW all come

together.

More than any other saloon in the past, the BMW Concept CS bears

out all the highlights of optimum performance through the design of

its body alone. The low-slung, dynamically stretched silhouette, the long

engine compartment lid and stylish lines and contours accentuating

rear-wheel drive technology simply perfect for sports motoring, all set

clear standards for supreme dynamics in a new dimension of outstanding

vehicles. Through its supreme presence, stylish elegance,

and challenging dynamism, the BMW Concept CS, in a nutshell, offers

truly unique design language with highly individual aesthetic features

never seen before.

Precisely this explains why all the elementary values of the

BMW brand are concentrated in the BMW Concept CS, superior

dynamics and sophisticated elegance all being borne out together

through the authentic style and design of the car. Clearly, therefore,

the BMW Concept CS is the pacemaker leading into a new category

of values typical and characteristic of the BMW brand.

Design culture and dynamics of the highest standard.

Offering a synthesis of features unique to the BMW brand, the

BMW Concept CS introduces new, tempting highlights in a particularly

demanding segment of the market. This unique model combines

the qualities of a luxury saloon and a high-performance sports car in

one, raising this superiority to a new, unprecedented level. As a result,

the BMW Concept CS adds an unparalleled touch of sporting

dynamism to the conventional culture of a saloon, offering the driver

and passengers the complete dynamic potential of such unique

power on four full-sized single seats.

While the conventional saloon focuses primarily on driving comfort, the

BMW Concept CS sends out a clear message of active, dynamic

motoring. A message which reaches all the car’s occupants, with the

generous feeling of space in this four-door being supplemented by

a sporting and low seating position enjoyed not only by the driver and

front passenger, but also by the passengers at the rear on their

own single seats. For this reason alone, the BMW Concept CS is, not

least, the vision of a sports car for the ambitious driver offering

the passengers the same experience of sporting performance and

luxurious pleasure.

BMW Concept CS side 2

Individual style meets exclusive class.

The innovative, unique driving experience offered by the

BMW Concept CS is appropriately reflected by all the car’s interior

features, the design of the interior and the various technical innovations

interacting perfectly with one another. The ambience of the interior is

indeed just as unique as the character and body design of this one-off

sporting four-seater, offering all the occupants a brand-new experience

of aesthetic style and design. And it almost goes without saying that

within the car the occupants enjoy such unique exclusivity in particular

style on four single seats.

The innovative design and finish of both the surfaces and controls is

further accentuated by the use of top-quality materials and quality

of finish enhanced to perfection. Unnecessary opulence is replaced by

highly focused luxury, together with an exemplary standard of detail

and elegance. The precision that has gone into the development

and production of all components is obvious at very first sight, clearly

expressing BMW’s dedication to supreme performance in every

respect.

Style and unique aesthetics of BMW.

Measuring 5.10 metres or 200.8 inches in length, the BMW Concept CS

is dominated by dynamically flowing lines. From the BMW kidney

grille standing out powerfully to the front, the eyes of the beholder

move back along the low-slung and sleek engine compartment lid,

subsequently meandering along the side-line and roof-line all the way

to the deliberately short rear-end with its clear-cut air flow spoiler.

The dynamically stretched silhouette of the car proudly boasts a wide

range of features typical of the character of a particularly sporting,

avantgarde automobile. All of these features clearly bear testimony to

excellent aerodynamics as well as a low centre of gravity helping to

promote superior agility on the road. And at the same time the carefully

modelled transitions between the body sections are a clear symbol of

the car’s nimble character and performance, despite its size.

Four doors with a unique, sporting and low body line.

The sporting, low-slung silhouette of the car is further accentuated by

body height of just 1.36 metres or 53.5 inches. A further important

feature is the gentle taper of the roof-line at the rear serving again to

smoothly stretch the proportions of the entire car.

The re-interpreted contour line, as seen from the side, serves to

emphasise the technical concept of rear-wheel drive so crucial

to dynamic performance on the road. Subdividing the silhouette of the

car into various sections, the contour line stretches from the beginning

of the A-pillar in a gentle, rising movement all the way up above the

front door, gradually petering out beneath the rear side window. Then

the contour line starts again in the lower section of the rear door,

first running parallel to the wheel cut-out in a powerful arch. From there

the rear contour line is continued as a straight line also rising slightly

up to the rear end of the car.

The roof-line likewise tapering out gently to the rear also provides a

brand-new effect when looking at the car from the side, adding a touch

never seen before on a saloon. The striking contour of the C-pillar,

in turn, provides an additional visual highlight of attractive clarity, the

transition of the C-pillar into the rear section of the car tapering out

at a lower angle than the steeper rear window rising up from its base

point. This creates a unique expression of classic notchback design

highly individualised and varying according to your angle of vision.

At the bottom, the C-pillar offers a new, enhanced interpretation of

the reverse line sweeping to the front known by tradition as the

“Hofmeister kick”. And last but not least, a gentle and extremely

attractive light-edge stands out above the side window precisely

where the C-pillar merges into the roof-line.

BMW Concept CS rear close

Characteristic front-end design consistently enhanced.

The front-end design of the BMW Concept CS is a particularly striking

example of the consistent enhancement of BMW’s design language.

Here the BMW kidney grille stands out as a powerful element typical of

the BMW brand and naturally a famous icon of body design, giving

the car its unique look and emphasising the flow of air into the engine.

Indeed, the kidney grille is not only the central, but also the dominating

element in the design of the entire front end.

Through its dimensions alone, as well as its position slightly inclined

to the front, the kidney grille establishes a clear link to classic

BMW sports cars. All further elements at the front end of the car are

angled in the direction of travel and designed as a genuine sculpture

around the kidney grille, with all directly adjacent surfaces being

modelled in concave design.

Significant functional features add further meaning to this special look

of the car, with the BMW kidney grille serving as the primary supply

of air to the engine. The two recesses in the front side panels, in turn,

help to cool the brakes on the car. And since a power unit befitting

the dynamic character of such a sports saloon most probably requires

an ample flow of cooling air, the need for an extra-large kidney grille

is obvious at first sight.

Applying the philosophy that “form follows function”, the contours

on the engine compartment typical of a BMW have developed

into a genuine sign of distinction born out of technical needs and

requirements. On the BMW Concept CS, the powerdome as a

further highlight in design extends over the power unit as a particularly

large, almost awe-inspiring design feature.

The engine compartment lid is supported at either side by headlight

units merging flush into the design of the car and resting flat on the side

panels, extending far back into the front wings. The slender space

thus left over above the extra-large wheel arches underlies the agility

and, accordingly, the athletic performance of the car.

Innovative headlight technology.

Within the dynamic, low-slung headlight units featured in the

BMW Concept CS, particularly innovative technology serves to

generate a powerful and consistent light beam: Innovative LED reverseprojection

lights bundle their light on a reflection area from where the

beam is conveyed smoothly, consistently and with utmost precision to

the road ahead. This provides a particularly homogenous area of

illumination without the slightest dazzling effect, since the oncoming

motorist does not look directly at the projectors.

The short front overhang of the body creates yet another sign

confirming the sporting concept of the car, showing the connoisseur

clearly that the engine may be placed behind the front wheel

suspension. Obviously, such arrangement of the engine serves once

again to make the car particularly agile and dynamic on the road.

The extra-large wheel arches offer space for big 21-inch wheels �"

again exceptional proportions alluding clearly to an extremely high

standard of steering precision and tracking stability. And the rear wheel

arches are powerfully chiselled to perfection even more than the

wheel arches at the front, with the car growing wider towards the

rear end, again accentuating the transmission of power to the rear

wheels so typical of BMW.

Dynamic roof-line guiding your eyes �" and the air flowing by.

The sculptural design language so characteristic of the

BMW Concept CS in its body design allows unique interplay of

concave and convex surfaces, reflecting and guiding the light on and

around the car in exactly the right way. One example in this context

is the exterior mirrors on this unique car blending harmoniously with the

side-view, the mirrors through their design alone repeating the overall

look and lines of the car. The door handlers are integrated into the

flanks of the BMW Concept CS even more discreetly: Housed within a

chrome-bar running to the rear at the height of the contour line, the

door handlers controlled by sensors move out only when really needed.

Yet another innovation in the design of this saloon is the centrepiece

along the roof line of the BMW Concept CS slightly drawn in at

the rear. This exceptional contour design visible only from behind but

nevertheless unusually powerful in its look optimises the flow of air

in and around the roof area. The aerodynamic touch established in this

way underlines the overall sporting impression of the car and serves

at the same time as yet another feature of sculptural design and

perfection.

BMW Concept CS rear

Sculptural design for truly unique style.

Given all these features, the BMW Concept CS is a modern counterpart

to the conventional notchback design of a “regular” four-door. Indeed,

never before on a saloon have the individual body sections merged so

smoothly into one another, creating a low-slung and stretched

appearance. And this impression of all-round perfection with supreme

harmony of looks from every angle is further enhanced when admiring

the transitions modelled with extreme care and diligence, providing

additional light effects, for example, around the C-pillar. Features of

this standard alone clearly confirm BMW’s philosophy to express

supreme design culture through perfect precision and style in every

respect.

The much lower flow of the C-pillars compared with the position of the

rear window again serves to emphasis the flowing transitions from

one body section to the next. Seen from the side, the entire car has the

lightness of a coupé �" but then all you have to do is change your

perspective only slightly in order to perceive and appreciate all the

style of a classic four-door. Given the short body overhang at the rear,

the size of the separate luggage compartment is hard to appreciate to

begin with. Instead, the rear end is dominated by other design features

emphasising both the wide track and the aerodynamically optimised

rear look of the car.

Moving up at the rear, we see that the two tailpipe rings are integrated

in the rear air. In its night design, in turn, the BMW Concept CS is

characterised by slender rear lights emitting a homogeneous, low-slung

and therefore strikingly harmonious lighting effect.

With its design language absolutely authentic and convincing to the

last detail, the BMW Concept CS offers all the fascinating thrill of new

design culture. The particular impact of this sporting four-door, in turn,

results not only from individual highlights, but also from the overall look

of the car accentuating its complete character so convincingly. The

car’s dynamic potential is indeed expressed both by its proportions

and lines symbolising both power and a dynamic, forward-moving urge.

And last but certainly not least, the BMW Concept CS boasts

particularly sophisticated elegance through the great care and diligence

applied in turning innovative design culture into reality.

The interior: an outstanding driving experience on all four seats.

The interior of the BMW Concept CS also offers dynamism of a

completely new standard borne out by the combination of exclusive

elegance and sophisticated refinement. In designing the interior, the

innovative technique of layering the individual surfaces and components

provides an unprecedented combination of function and stylish

reduction to the essential. The appropriate use of joints and seams,

together with layered surfaces, creates new options in the arrangement

of functional elements for both ventilation and illumination. And at

the same time the layering concept offers new possibilities to clearly

express the class and value of the materials used as well as the

precise design of the car’s interior through contrasting colours and

the structure of different materials.

Featuring height-adjustable collar elements directly integrated in the

seats, the four full-sized sports seats meet all the needs of personalised

entertainment and communication, thus raising the experience of

quality within the interior to an unprecedented standard. More than ever

before, this highlights the sheer value of the materials used, the love

for all details, and quality of finish now enhanced to perfection.

BMW Concept CS rear

Interaction of innovative design and exclusive materials, together

with the use of a highly expressive colour scheme, gives the interior of

the BMW Concept CS a unique touch of luxury based not on simple

opulence, but rather on perfect quality.

The design of the interior clearly reveals the truly outstanding driving

experience in a unique ambience. A brand-new concept for subdividing

the cockpit into various sections, as well as unparalleled standards

in the choice of materials and in the quality of finish, create an unprecedented

flair of exclusivity and individual style. And added to this there

is a clear pledge to sportiness expressed both by the arrangement

and finish of the four single sports seats and the design of the controls

and instruments.

An invitation to active motoring.

The driver-oriented cockpit immediately shows the motorist that he

or she is in control of everything happening at the wheel. Just like the

arrangement of all controls and instruments, the design and layout

of the cockpit is an invitation to active motoring. A very clear example

of this straightforward philosophy is the short distance between the

steering wheel and the shift lever, while in their design the sports seats

combine a touch of lightness with the sporting elegance of the finest

leather. The low-slung seating position and the clear structure of

the instruments likewise evoke the wish to really experience and savour

the dynamic potential of this unique car.

Lots of space, lots of support: sports seats also at the rear.

The BMW Concept CS presents the vision of an automobile proudly

offering all its qualities to the driver. The unique thrill of driving the car is

obviously borne out most by taking your position at the wheel, while

the sheer driving pleasure offered in the process is shared out among all

the occupants: Just like the front-seat passenger, the passengers on

the single seats at the rear will also appreciate and cherish the sporting

and active driving experience offered by the BMW Concept CS.

Precisely this is ensured by the contours of the rear seats with their

perfect side support tailored to the contours and design of the front

sports seats. And thanks to the single seat concept, elbow freedom on

the rear seats is just as good as on the front passenger’s seat.

The centre console flows back smoothly all the way to the rear, serving

as a comfortable armrest and at the same time offering additional

storage space. In all, therefore, the passengers sitting at the rear enjoy a

brand-new, truly innovative ambience standing out clearly from the

conventional style of a “regular” four-door model.

Cultivating the flow of joints and seams: layering the interior design.

The combination of features previously regarded as incompatible

within the BMW Concept CS represents a complete departure from

conventional standards. Indeed, the BMW Concept CS opens up a

new era in many areas, the unique combination of sporting performance

and stylish elegance also coming out clearly in the design of the interior.

BMW Concept CS interior

The BMW Concept CS is therefore no more and no less than a new

milestone in refined interior design, applying an innovative layering

technique developed by BMW to provide unprecedented interplay of

the various interior elements. Instead of large surfaces and connections

with their transitions nearly always characterised by a change in

materials and colours, the layering technique stratifies the various

surfaces flowing into one another, with clearly defined seams taking

on a functional role, for example in the arrangement of light sources

and venting nozzles. The result is a very refined effect of light and shade

making a significant contribution to the exclusive overall look and

impression of the interior.

Contrary to the design of the body incorporating flowing lines, generous

surfaces and harmonious interplay of concave and convex elements in

order to capitalise above all on light effects, the layering concept applied

within the interior mainly uses shade effects and changes in structure.

Wherever individual surfaces in the structure of the cockpit do not meet

on the same level, we find separate zones kept away from the direct

flow of light �" and precisely these zones provide the right space for the

inconspicuous arrangement of various functions. The recesses and

superimposed surfaces provided in this way offer appropriate space for

ambient illumination as well as the arrangement of air vents. Dazzlefree

interior lighting and discreet shade effects upgrade the entire flair

of the interior and create a kind of light, hovering effect.

This layering philosophy is continued in the design of the instruments

themselves, the displays in the instrument cluster presenting various

functions and items of information on different optical levels. This again

creates the impression of superimposed surfaces serving, first, to

clearly structure the information offered and, second, to generate an

impression of three-dimensionality.

Colour design rich in contrasts, high-quality materials.

BMW’s designers have also created unmistakable highlights through

the choice of materials and colours: Powerful colour contrasts generate

a dynamic ambience full of vitality appropriately reflecting the dynamic

driving experience on the four seats of the BMW Concept CS. Highquality,

refined leather in sophisticated brown forms a powerful contrast

to surfaces in elegant off-white. Finished in matt tan, this brown

leather is indeed to be admired not only on the seats, but also on the

instrument panel, the upper doorsills, and the outer edges of the roof

lining. Around the armrests and in the door panels themselves, this

change in colours accentuates the dynamic lines of the interior created

by the particular design and shape of individual elements. And finally,

the leather trim on the dashboard continues in a slender band extending

harmoniously into the door linings.

As a further innovative highlight, the roof lining in the BMW Concept CS

is accentuated not only through a contrasting colour scheme, but

also by finishing the outer flanks of the roof lining likewise in leather.

Ambient light bands stretching out along the entire length between the

windscreen and rear window, finally, add yet a further touch of luxury

inside the car.

BMW Concept CS interior 2

Reflecting the particular style of the exterior, the flowing structure of the

interior surfaces shows special care and diligence in the transitions from

one section to another. As an example, the leather trim on the centre

console and the door entry area extends far down into the footwells.

The dashboard also uses a newly developed metal structure literally

“embracing” the various surface elements. This material particularly

attractive in its structure as well as its cool colour and feeling surrounds

the circular instruments in the cockpit, together with the other features

and elements.

Yet another supreme innovation is the use of high-tech ceramics for

the controls and instruments. And as a symbol of solidity and value, the

BMW iDrive Controller is also made of a special ceramic material.

Unparalleled and typical of BMW: the BMW Concept CS.

The unique flair pampering both the driver and his passengers within

the BMW Concept CS is an equally clear expression of both a new

culture in body design. Both outside and inside, the BMW Concept CS

therefore conveys the same message, telling the world that the

experience of driving a saloon now comes in an entirely new rendition.

So in presenting this new Concept Car, BMW is not only entering a

brand-new segment of the market never occupied before, but is also

setting the milestone with a brand-new type of car: The four-door

luxury Gran Turismo enters a new dimension of motoring in new style

and with new features.

A new experience of dynamics and the ambience around us, exemplary

quality in design and finish, extreme precision in the dimensions of the

car, and concentrated luxury within the interior �" these are the features

that characterise the BMW Concept CS. And at the same time all

this bears clear testimony to the superior know-how and competence

of BMW’s engineers and designers in creating such truly emotional

automobiles.

The sum total of such qualities in the BMW Concept CS can be created

only on a sound foundation of firmly defined values: innovative power,

sporting performance, aesthetic design, an open frame of mind, and

full awareness of quality. Precisely these are the values BMW has been

applying consistently for decades in the development of particularly

outstanding saloons and fascinating, truly dynamic sports cars. And

now these values are concentrated even more than before in an

unprecedented manner in the BMW Concept CS.

Source: BMW (via AutoBlog, Motortrend)

[OLLIE 26]

FECK thats cool!

[Guest Denny Crane]

Oh man, that is so badass

[jjs 64]

And everyone thought the Merc CLS was a flop... Now they are flocking out to copy it!

[drifty325i 0]

Now thats hotttt! Frank just pulled up in a new Aston vanquish! holy sh*t

Edited April 20, 2007 by drifty340i

[Guest Denny Crane]

http://digg.com/design/BMW_shows_new_sport...anghai#c6251469

kekeke

[bravo 35]

What happens when a Aston Martin v8 Vantage, a Jaguar C-XF and a new BMW 8 series have a crash???

Oh, this is it.

Its cool, but the little styling details are ugly and let it down.