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BMW to Reveal New Eco Sports Car

 
3 2,045 views August 1, 2009

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BMW has announced that it will unveil its new eco-friendly sports car concept, the EfficientDynamics Vision, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.   Designed to showcase energy efficient drive-train technology and lighter materials,  it will be interesting to see how much it borrows from the recently revealed GINA concept car which is said to have been heavily influencing current design thinking.  If, as expected, the new car continues innovations such as the fabric skin developed for the GINA,  BMW may be the first of the major automakers to  seriously pursue the  Hypercar strategy of ultra-light automobile design suggested by theorists such as Avory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute.  This would represent a break, albeit only in concept car form,  from the more incremental approach to weight reduction that seems to have ruled industry thinking up to this time. 

Look for an electric or possibly an electric/Diesel hybrid engine, and possibly further iterations of the intelligent aerodynamics system  which allows the vehicle to actually change shape while in motion, responding to conditions or changes in speed. 

Although the EfficientDynamics label covers a broad Spectrum of "green" technologies under development  including less radical advances like off-on engine operation and exhaust energy recapture,  if the Vision is anything like the GINA, it should represent more of the very tip of the cutting edge.    “Anyone who takes a closer look at this concept car will understand the direction in which we are developing our technology,” said Dr Klaus Draeger, BMW management board member.

[sources:AUTOCAR.co.UK, CAR, MotorTrend]





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Comments (3)

  1. By Jason M. Hendler Posted: 8/1/2009 5:58am PDT

    I bet the GINA concept would sell as is. The 2009 BMW Z4 actually incorporates GINA's "fabric pletes" in its sheet metal to present one of the most stunning vehicles of this decade. The subsurface tail lights and "eyelids" for headlights are two other attractive features to save weight, parts and costs. I can NOT wait to see what BMW is planning based on the GINA.
     
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  2. By  Peder Posted: 8/1/2009 8:55am PDT

    Hopefully some of the folks at Plug in America will read this story, and the BMW City story and come to their sences that BMW is serios about electric drive.
    Or of course this could all be a ruse just to game the carb credit system as well :)
    Their needless bashing of BWM is at odds with their mission to promote the plug in electric car.
    Clearly some top level R&D going on to promote efficiant plug in electric vehicles at BMW.
    Love to see it.
    Cheers
    Peder
     
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  3. By  Ace Cars Posted: 12/26/2009 10:23am PST

    A great concept, but a fabric shell is so far from production that this is purely for shock value.
     
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