BMW is working on a new generation of electric vehicles that should arrive around the middle of the decade. The Neue Klasse-based EVs will feature technologies that are not yet available on the market today and will most likely introduce a new design language for the brand. With the Vision Dee concept, the Bavarian brand hinted at the way this design will develop in the future.
Introduced during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday, the Digital Emotional Experience concept isn’t exactly what we’d describe as a good-looking BMW, and judging by your comments in the original debut story, you weren’t huge fans either. But there’s a bigger picture hiding there and it is the simpler design approach BMW is taking with this new concept. It turns out this is the path the automaker will follow in the future, especially when it comes to the Neue Klasse-based vehicles.
Gallery: 2023 BMW i Vision Dee concept
The Drive’s Aaron Cole recently had a chat with Domagoj Dukec, BMW’s head of design, who shined more light on the way design will evolve at the company in the future. It wants to start creating pure designs that are more resistant to aging, thus eliminating the need for mid-cycle refreshes. This may sound a little too optimistic, but Dukec hinted at a 10-year lifecycle without a facelift.
“Our cars will be more about quality. Also, a pure machine you don’t wish to change every three years,” Dukec told the online publication. “[We’re] making a design so pure that it’ll last for 10 years, so much so that it won’t need a facelift. A facelift is very superficial.”
Dukec also confirmed BMW won’t abandon the traditional sedan shape despite the boom of SUVs and crossovers. Performance-oriented packages are also likely part of the brand’s future, though BMW would rethink what performance will look like in the coming years. “The performance will always be there,” Dukec said, though “certain things will always stay familiar.” But the most important thing will remain quality, which BMW wants to achieve without unnecessary complexity and needless vanity.
