The BMW concept for a cleaner future is called the Vision Circular
At first glance, this new BMW concept could recall the shapes and dimensions of the small electric BMW i3, but Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW, is keen to point out that this is only a conceptual study, a way to explore the possibilities and give us a taste of what could come in the future, starting in 2025, with the advent of BMW's Neue Klasse.
The philosophy behind the i Vision Circular project is simple: “Rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle”, an updated and renewed version of the phrase born in the 70s during the first environmental movements. The concept is made with recycled materials that can be recycled in turn, and the whole car is designed to impact the environment as little as possible during production, use and disposal. The bodywork, for example, is made from recycled aluminum and is unpainted: in its place, the panels have been anodized with a light gold finish, and the BMW logo has been laser etched directly onto the bodywork.
The interiors have also been designed and built with the same philosophy in mind, without sacrificing a luxurious appearance: from the inside you can enjoy the view offered by the panoramic roof, sitting comfortably on seats designed with lines that are more reminiscent of those of comfortable home armchairs and made with aluminum and recycled plastic. Even the wheels, which have been pushed as far as possible to the ends of the car to increase the space inside the passenger compartment, are equipped with tires made from sustainable and natural rubber.
The driving position is embellished by the presence of a display with futuristic shapes and by an instrumentation that is projected on the lower part of the windscreen: thanks to the integrated pads on the steering wheel made with 3D printing, the driver can customize the graphics of the head-on display by deciding where to place the various information provided by the car.
To date BMW claims that it has no plans for the production of the i Vision Circular, and this would only be an example of what can be implement using the principles of the circular economy; the hope is that this approach, which is very attentive to the needs of the environment, will also find space in the production of the various electric cars that BMW will produce under the hat of the 'Neue Klasse' generation, starting in 2025.
