I heard that the EU was cracking down on metal plating for environmental reasons, but the Germans have used aluminum for bright work all the way back to the VW Beetle, so I don’t see why they can’t now.
Also, the unusual thing about the BMW was that everything that there was absolutely no chrome. Not even in the headlights or grille. Unusual.
Tesla also uses black plastic to hide cameras, notably on the front fenders. They still give their customers a nice chrome strip around the windows though. Oh well…
Here’s a new twist on the ‘we must have oversized grilles to be relevant’ ethos. At least this one is size-controlled.
Otherwise, I’m not a fan of the Subie-like fender bulges. BMW Reveals First Neue Klasse iX3 - BimmerLife
I was so excited to see how the Neue Klasse would turn out. It looks like everything behind the grille is following the dumpy styling they have been using. The grille is an improvement, but this one is just OK. Maybe on a sedan it will fit better.
They are so bad. I went from owning 3 Audis in a row to them not having a single car in the line I would drive…. but maybe this will move things in the right direction (grille-esque area still kinda big):
The BMWCCA recently interviewed Bob Lutz for his thoughts on BMW’s state of design (car guys will know Lutz, he’s been in every automotive circle since the 60’s and is responsible for some gorgeous vehicles for German, Japanese, Korean and American brands). Here’s his take…
I think BMW, right now, has a serious design problem. I think some of the front ends are atrocious. Too prominent, that steam punk look to some of the front ends that look like big octagonal cast iron plates riveted to the car. It’s atrocious. I mean, the proportions are wrong, the lines are wrong, the detailing is wrong. I think some of them are just beyond ugly, and frankly, are being bought because people expect a premium automobile, and they say, Well, okay, I kind of hate the front end. I kind of hate the lights, and I kind of hate the grille, and I kind of hate the overall proportions, but it is a BMW. Somebody told me Chinese buyers like that stuff. I find that hard to believe.
I don’t mind following these in traffic because they are somewhat interesting and unpredictable. Those are not good brand attributes for a German car brand. In white the surfaces are not defined so the graphic is better seen. The hatch cut line is vague and wanders, like the rest of the sculpture.
The back is definitely the best angle on those. I think the slip tail lamps that are inbound of the trunk shut line are nicely done. I also like the wide shoulders.
The black bits and the reflectors at the bottom are a little odd to me.
My parents just bought an X1 from -22/23. No Apple CarPlay. I tried to install it - it was a subscription. Came to a point where we said ”fine”. Then it said it still can’t be done because of some other crap (not technical, it has a huge touchscreen). At the same time I have carplay in my Citroen from same year that cost less new than their used BMW did. It wouldn’t be a big issue unless it was something you take for granted from a leading brand.. well not any longer.
@engio the rent seeking is just out of control in 2026. The best is when BMW tried to charge a monthly subscription for heated seats - hardware already in the car, or Mercedes charging a monthly subscription to their performance software upgrade.
“Let’s charge for CarPlay, something that comes standard in a base Kia as wireless?” - Makes no sense.
But at least BMW offers it. Tesla and Rivian still don’t have it and GM got rid of it.
Both of our EVs came with CarPlay and lifetime connectivity for the onboard software. Only one of the cars (the cheaper one) has wireless CarPlay. I had no idea what a game changer that would be. The fact that when I get in the car my phone screen just automatically boots up in the car’s center screen is perfect. I just want the stuff on my phone in the center screen. Keep all the car stuff as permanent physical interfaces as much as possible unless I need to tweak a deep setting.
That sucks so hard. You just know it’s to add crazy margin on the asking price for interior tech features … which date quickly. Who are these buyers? Ugh
