Tomorrow, BMW will take wraps off the Concept CS at the Shanghai auto show—a car that is a very thinly veiled representation of a model soon headed for production.
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The CS is envisioned as a range-topping four-door with coupe styling, sharing underpinnings with the next-generation 7 Series. The exterior dimensions are impressive—and large. The low-slung body stretches 200.8 inches long and a huge 78 inches wide, but is a scant 53.5 inches high. For comparison, the current 7 Series is smaller than this beast: 198.4 inches long, 58.7 inches high and 74.9 inches wide. Even with its increased length and width, the seating capacity in the CS—and the production four-door coupe it will spawn—drops to four.
Our sources in Shanghai report the CS seeks to bridge the gap between the 7 Series and Rolls-Royce, as well as fend off the upcoming Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide, and provide an answer to the high-end version of the Mercedes-Benz CLS—the car that started the four-door coupe craze. Equally important, it foreshadows the direction of BMW design.
The styling of the concept is a natural progression of the initially derided and now much copied “flamed surfacing” treatment initiated by American designer Chris Bangle. This car continues to carry concave body panels, but adds ever-sharpening creases at its flanks and rear; note the exaggerated hip line that helps to show both length and stance for the car. From behind, the edginess—and futuristic look—of this design is apparent. The Concept CS’s style shows a kind of toughness that buyers of the production car can only hope it will emulate. Huge 21-inch wheels hint at the performance potential and exaggerated rear fenders remind you of BMW’s rear-drive philosophy.
BMW no doubt will offer an M variant. Power for the highest performance model should be a 6.0-liter V12, which will essentially add two cylinders to the 5.0-liter V10 in the M5; the likelihood is that everything that wears an M badge will use a configuration of that engine. As example, the next M3 cuts off a pair of cylinders to have a 4.0-liter V8.
Choosing Shanghai to showcase its new design direction may seem odd for the German company—especially with the Frankfurt auto show looming this fall—but chairman Norbert Reithofer made it clear that Asia is growing in importance to BMW. Last year, the Munich-based automaker sold 45,000 cars in China with 8669 of those being the company’s flagship 7 Series. Only the United States, at about 18,000 cars, consumes more of the big sedans. Also, in conjunction with its Chinese partner, Brilliance, BMW manufactures a stretched version of its 5 Series in China, the only market in which that car is sold.
“You don’t have to look at the impressive skyline of Pudong [Shanghai] to understand that Chinese mainland with is high growth rates is on its way to becoming one of the world’s most important automotive markets,” Reithofer said.
“Over the last five years, the BMW brand alone has risen by more than 750 percent in Chinese mainland. No other major premium brand achieves such dynamic growth rates in this market,” he added. Reithofer said the company’s goal is to sell 150,000 cars in Asia next year. The United States, with sales of more than 273,000 cars, is the largest BMW market, with Germany a close second.
Reithofer and BMW designer Adrian van Hooydonk stressed that the Concept CS is just that, a concept. But van Hooydonk said everything on the big car could be translated to production, meaning the low-slung shark nose front end especially could meet all pedestrian safety standards.
“This is a purpose-built car, but it shows where the brand could possibly go,” van Hooydonk said. “Pedestrian safety standards will not impact our brand identity.”
Source:
AutoWeek News | Published 04/19/07
By DUTCH MANDEL AND PHIL FLORADAY WITH REPORTING BY GREG KABLE IN SHANGHAI
