With the BMW i Vision Circular, the German premium manufacturer is looking to the future with a vehicle designed for 2040 and focused on sustainability and luxury. The 100% electric four-seater offers a generous amount of interior space and is approximately four meters long. The i Vision Circular brings to debut BMW’s new Neue Klasse native electric platform that will underpin all of the German premium manufacturer’s models coming in the future.
“We gave careful consideration to the issue of recycling and the circular economy from the very beginning during the design process of this concept car full of innovative ideas to combine sustainability with an inspiring new aesthetic – we call this approach ‘circular design,'” explains Adrian van Hooydonk, head of design at BMW Group. Circular design embraces four principles: RE:Think, RE:Duce, RE:Use and RE:Cycle.
“With the BMW i Vision Circular, we set ourselves the challenge of designing a 100 percent circular vehicle while meeting – and in some respects exceeding – the obvious expectations of our customers when it comes to lifestyle and luxury,” explains Domagoj Dukec, head of BMW design. The i Vision Circular has an urban minivan architecture consisting of a limited number of components and with a minimized range of different materials used. The styling language is clear and simple, while the vehicle’s proportions visit a segment that the German manufacturer has already explored with the i3 electric.
Inside, the BMW i Vision Circular adopts a luxurious ambience using materials and manufacturing processes that are indicative of a sensitivity to environmental issues. The interior highlights what will be possible in the future when all materials are recyclable. Sustainability does not only concern the materials of the interiors, but the entire production process and joining techniques that avoid the use of glue or other polluting materials. Most of the components will be made using 3D printing and any surplus material will be systematically returned to the production cycle.
