German Car Forum

JULY Update :

By the Pool out of the Office Edition....



Initiallly I had proposed to talk about the new BMW 3er in this edition.
But seeing as I am on location I will not have my notes until my other laptop has been delivered to me by tomorrow.

As of the 9th July the world became anticipated for the new BMW 1er M Coupe or as we will see the 1M Coupe when it is unveiled later this year , an interesting preview and a taster for some other BMW news commencing over next week.

MINI CANYON PROJECT


With the expansion set to continue with MINI we are looking at alternatives to widen out the MINI Brand with a new model expansion that will be inherited with the Countryman and the next generation MINI.
The beachcomber Concept was an idea to officially preview the Countryman in light of the MINI Crossover Concept.

The Problem with the Beachcomber is that not everybody is around sea and sand 24/7 especially for a five door concept. Whilst the Beachcomber is a practical solution for a surfer or triathlete and their friends , it does not sit well with the corporate image of having a five dr beach orientated vehicle.

A Solution once conceived in 2005 by the MINI design team is a 3dr more sport orientated activity MINI which is being looked at as a brother vehicle to the MINI Countryman. Using the Countryman's platform but shortened and All4 four wheel drive drivetrain.
MINI Canyon is an idea that takes the formula as used with the MINI Coupe but translates that to a small Activity MINI , utilising 3drs and space for four.

Comparisons with the Land Rover Evoque are welcomed but MINI had this idea in 2005 and before that.
What is unique is the unusual "Origami" roof line that like the Evoque swoops down giving the car and extremely dynamic roofline which seperates two rear windshields , as shown here a full sized spare tyre is retained , but the design also utilises a luggage box built into the roof for extra flexibility. Aswell as removable roof panels which would make a Beachcomber more possible with this car.

The car is on the Design wall in Munich to decide how to further progress the MINI portfolio. And the overall look remains but the details will be brought into line with the other MINI family.
The proposal goes that if the MINI can spawn a Coupe Can the MINI Countryman propose a smaller 3dr activity Concept.

Official decision has not been taken but it looks likely that the MINI Canyon could become a reality. Although Canyon is the design project name it could retain the original title or use a classic MINI title or something new.

No Intention to Stand Still and Watch.

Since it's introduction in 2008 the new BMW 7er has been extremely successful for the company in light of the highly dramatic (albeit) successful E65/E66 series.
Sales of the new 7er have been excellent with excellent results within Germany, North America and in Asia.
Since in 2012 the F01/F02 will meet it's half-way in it's life cycle , BMW are preparing a few slight adjustments to bring the 7er into line with the new corporate design angle.
The headlights remain the same but will finally inherit LED technology as being introduced in the latest models. The Twin kidney Grille will remain the largest of the BMW family, however the curved outline will give way to a more angular , shapely look as showcased within the new 5er , new 6er and the upcoming new 3er. Underneath the diagonal air intake will give way to a new shape that shares much with the original Active Hybrid 7 Concept from 2008 and the new 6er. The rear does not have any dramatic changes except for a reprofiled rear spoiler.
Finally all 7er will adopt the 8 speed Transmission and more powerful engines which will see the V8 get a power boost, And a more powerful diesel will be a flagship for the Diesel models. An Active Hybrid 7 using either a range extended diesel or petrol is also under consideration as a more pro-european option. The revised 7er known as Life Cycle Impulse is expected to be shown at the 2012 Beijing Autoshow.

X-Style

I light of the success of the BMW X6 (Just under 83,000 units and counting sold since it's 2008 introduction) BMW are investigating in downsizing the X6 Concept of a Sports Activity Coupe for the X3.

With X3 about to be relaunched and revitalised. An initial proposal was put forward with the new F25 to introduce a new concept to the segment.
Using the same idea as the X6 , this smaller interpretation of the X6 was approved for further development until the financial crisis put the project on hiatus. With the X6 now surpassing it's initial projections and doubling it's sales target. The onus is on looking at a smaller interpretation of the X6 , offering a similar dynamic package of sporting design and originality.

Known internally as X-Style. The car heavily based on the forthcoming X3 , like the X6 is to the X5, retains a similar appearance with a dramatic Coupe like roof and muscular body broad and chiseled in similar idea to the X6. What makes the proposal different is that instead of a conventional tailgate like the X6 , the idea put forward is to increase it's flexibility by offering a two way hatch similar to the BMW 5er Gran Turismo but here is where it gets interesting for the X-Style the Coupe like roof forms a conventional sedan rear , making the X-Style the worlds first Sport Activity Sedan. And it works.
Will it enter production? It is too early to say but expect the X-Style as a Concept in the not so distant future as BMW have decided that public opinion would make a viable case for the concept.

In terms of growth the markets that are going to increase over the next decade will be the City Vehicle (MegaCityVehicle) C-Segment Compact class (1er) and the D-segment Sport Sedan (3er).
The X-Style would be an entirely cost effective project because of it's close proximity in sharing platform , drivetrains and engines with the X3.






Phoenix Yellow is alive.....

Could you tell us more about this? You said in the preview 2012 7er LCI, will we see CS design cues in the FL F01 or something like that?.

Is that for the 1M Coupe?

As hinted at in the Autobild render? Personally I prefer Le Mans Blue.

Thanks as always!

The important word there is phoenix, not yellow man. He refers to the CS, what it means he only knows.

New steering wheel design for the LCI 7 Series. Current generation without the Individual wheel is poor.

When I see the X6 I see the X5 and 6 series combined.

This new X3ish model should be interesting. Don't like the X3.

phoenix yellow is a bmw color or he is referring to the X-Style stuff, so don't get your hopes up

My God, this is horrible. Am I supposed to take all this serious or what????


Of course not, don't even get your hopes up. The 7er LCI will be exactly like all the others: exactly the same car with some marginal differences to the exterior; new rims, new bumpers, LED Angle Eyes and of course some technical stuff.
And I can tell you right here and now: the 7er facelift will not get different shaped grille, headlights or taillights. Absolutely no way.

Nice what BMW plans to build. But what about the Z2 (Coupé)? Any info? That is the car I am waiting for.

Okkkk, a piece of reallity here, thanks.

I am less sure about the grill, afterall they did it for the E92/E93 & E65 LCIs.

If you look at the grilles in F10 5er, F12 6er and F30 3er, the F01 one is the worst looking by far. It can be the biggest one, no problem with the size, it´s the shape what bothers me, it´s too rounded, I´d like it to be wider, like the 5er one.

This time the 7er is a very good looking car, the worst par of it (not meaning it is bad) is the front, so I would expect a few changes in the front for the LCI, and maybe a redesigned rear bumper, not much more.

The grill will be changed for sure, especially after its designer is a betrayer who fled to Mercedes

Is Mini Canyon the X6 version of MINI?

• The overall headlight shape will be unchanged but incorporate LEDs.
• The kidney grills will loose the curved outline and inherit an angular shape that would similar to the F10 5-Series and the upcoming F12 6-Series and F30 3-Series.
• The front bumper lower air intake will be modified and will be brought more inline with the original BMW 7-Series ActiveHybrid Concept and upcoming BMW 6-Series.
• Reprofiled rear spoiler
• 8 Speed Transmission and new more powerful engines (power boost for the V8).
• To be shown at the 2012 Beijing Autoshow

http://www.7post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=406846

AutoExpressUK Have featured a story on the MINI Canyon Concept.
The rendering is purely three door Countryman. Thankfully the car will retain a new stylish appearance and be more radical that the rendering suggests.


MINI Canyon gunning for Range Rover | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express

Lots of MINI coupé in that rendering. That can't be a bad thing, right?