It’s not uncommon for design students or amateurs to have a go at drawing whatever interesting concepts they can think of. As BMW makes dream cars, it happens quite often for the Bavarians.

The newest such creation comes from a Romanian self-thought 2D/3D modeller, designer, artist and overall creative person. It’s called the BMW XS concept and it allegedly runs on hydrogen.

Truth be told, this concept is a real love and hate kind of machine. It’s not love or hate, it’s genuinely both and I will explain why.

The exterior does carry some historic BMW lines and ideas but truth be told, it looks shocking. And not in a good way either.

Basically retro is to be the key aspect of the car but some of the reactions that deem it to be “fugly” aren’t far off. Due to the size and nature of crossover/SUV concepts they don’t mix with classic shapes without appearing bulbous and unevenly proportioned.

That’s the hate part. The lovable part is the interior. It is so brilliantly drawn out and yet it looks like something car makers will be ready to put on the market in a few years.

There’s nothing unbelievably complicated in there and nor is there any unusual material that needs to be mined on the moons of Jupiter.

Oh, and the fact that it’s powered by hydrogen also seems interesting. It may take a while to implement but that won’t be the biggest hurdle really.

My guess is that perhaps George Manolache, as the designer is called, should have changed a few lines at the front end and then stuck an Infiniti badge on it.

About Post Author

Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW XS – an odd crossover concept appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

There’s plenty of things we want from BMW, most of which are toys and accessories but there’s plenty of cars added to the mix as well.

Of the latter category, the BMW 8 Series is most likely the most desirable option around. Sadly, the Bavarians aren’t very keen on giving it to us.

For now, all we can do is be happy with the imaginative products of others, the first of which is served up by Ismet Cevik.

The Turkish industrial designer took the idea and went wild with it till he ended up publishing a nearly agreeable concept.

Ismet Cevik’s design is called the 8 Series Concept but it’s a long way from the uber-coupe we’re used to from Bavaria.

In trying to avoid the obvious national characteristic reference there’s another main design feat that stands out about this BMW 8 Series Concept.

An definite relation with other German large luxury coupes can be seen in Cevik’s design and it’s that it borrows plenty of lines from them.

If we’re honest, not all of them are brilliant, some look like the sort of Bentley that is little more than a bloated VW with a posh badge.

Indirectly, the designer agrees with this concept as he claims his new looking 8 Series won’t be targeting the Mercedes CL but rather the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe.

Even though the BMW 8 Series Concept Istmet Cevik created is supposed to be aimed at business men it actually looks like it was designed for business men’s sons.

About Post Author

Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post Ismet Cevik imagines BMW 8 Series Concept appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

As much as we love our favorite German carmaker and as much as we’ve been keeping our eyes on them, apparently there’s a few things going on with the rest of the automotive industry.

One of the most notable such event of recent times is the leaping forwards of the Korean automotive industry.

Part of this new burst of energy created a need for fresh design ideas and new people at the design compartments of Hyundai and Kia.

Kia got their man from Audi back in 2006 and now one of BMW’s most important designers is going to Hyundai.

We’re talking about Chris Chapman, who was born in Southern California, raised at the Art Center College of Design, bloomed under Isuzu and went on to create magic with BMW.

Not everybody would agree with that given his creations but the Bavarian brand did thrive on some of his designs.

Chris Chapman has been named BMW’s director of automotive design back in 2002 and was later promoted to chief of transportation design in 2008.

During his time with BMW Chris Chapman designed the X5 and X3 SAVs, the Z4 roadster and the 1 Series hatchback.

Along side these designs which actually made it into production Chapman created countless concepts and sketches for the Bavarians.

He’ll now be relocated to Irvine, California where he’ll play out the role of chief designer for Hyundai USA. Not exactly a bad gig but we can’t help but feel he’s gone a couple of steps backwards.

About Post Author

Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW Designer gets picked up by Hyundai appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

BMW concepts always incite the mind, BMW renders almost do better. To this respect the latest render to come from Russian designer Krasnov Igor.

This time, Igor unleashed his creativity on our favorite manufacturer’s coupe, more importantly a very extravagant BMW supercar. While you might not see a way for extravagance to fit BMW’s design, this might work.

It’s pretty damn gorgeous but I’ll keep that opinion of mine to myself as much as possible and try to see a pretty open minded look on it. I will admit to the lines that are a result of bold design such as a Russian mentality would come up aren’t what most people would like to see on their Bavarian creation but that being said it does borrow some of the asymmetry from the BMW X Coupe.

Other influences come from the BMW Gina Concept and as a real base can be found from the BMW 328. The car in itself is a roadster that would find a weird use in BMW’s lineup.

This wouldn’t be a competitor for nothing other than the Bentley Arnage convertible as opposed to the Continental GT because of the massive bulk it inspires.

Then again I could be wrong and this render should never leave the digital world.

About Post Author

Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post Russian render of a BMW Sports Coupe appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.