BMW CONCEPT X7 IPERFORMANCE EXUDES CLASS AND LUXURY

Imposing presence and interior ambience are key features of newly unveiled plug-in hybrid sport activity vehicle

Dipping a toe into the highly profitable luxury segment, BMW Group plans to launch eight new large-size models in the next 18 months, including the BMW X7 and 8 Series Coupe, built on its all-new platform.

The company said it believes customers in Asia have been longing for such spacious and peerless offerings. Ahead of volume production, BMW's innovative vehicle concept for the luxury class, the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance, is making its debut in Asia at Auto China 2018 in Beijing, in the form of an innovative vehicle concept for the luxury class.

The concept sport activity vehicle is designed to combine imposing dimensions and a fascinating sense of outward presence with generous levels of space inside, and an interior ambience exuding class and luxury, as a new take on luxury for the BMW brand.

The powerful and efficient plug-in hybrid drive system and intelligently connected infotainment system underscore the technological progress encapsulated by the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance.

"The new BMW X7 is extremely spacious and has a magnificent presence. We will begin producing the X7 in late 2018," said Harald Krueger, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG.

This vehicle offers a look ahead to the future production model set to make its debut soon. The status of the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance as a luxury-class BMW SAV is instantly apparent.

Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice-president BMW Group Design, said: "The Concept introduces the BMW SAV DNA into the luxury segment.

"The new BMW design language employs just a few, extremely precise lines and subtle surface work to raise the bar in terms of presence and prestige."

The spectacular exterior, imposing dimensions and skillfully judged proportions endow it with an extraordinary sense of presence and an ultramodern aesthetic fused with innate dynamism.

The concept speaks its own, unmistakable design language - a new one for BMW - through an array of details and design features that set it apart clearly from previous models. Viewed from any angle, the interplay between a small number of precise lines and artfully sculpted surfaces sends out a charismatic statement of modernity, presence and exclusivity.

A new face in the BMW X family guides the attention to the large, vertical kidney grille at the heart of the upright front-end silhouette. The grille frame and bars are single-piece and solid in design, as if hewn from a single piece. Fascinating contrasts emerge between gleaming edges and matt surfaces, all of which breathe extra vibrancy and class into the frontal impression.

The upper sections of the slim, elongated twin headlights with BMW laser light link to the large kidney grille. The headlights and kidney grille combine to create an exciting contrast of horizontal dynamism and vertical solidity, bringing traditional BMW front-end design cues into the future.

From the side, the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance cuts a sumptuous figure, complete with the characteristic ground clearance of X vehicles. The nigh-on vertical front end, striking and almost vertical rear and steeply rising angle from the rear wheels to the tailgate give the muscular proportions a modern flourish.

The high-set lines of the flanks and the long shoulder line stretches the car and injects an athletic tension to the flanks. This also separates the car's body into the light and airy glasshouse and the muscular metal forms.

For the first time in an X vehicle, the wheel arches feature a circular cut and emphasize the exclusivity and elegance of the flanks. Conspicuous chrome strips in the door sills provide an exclusive counterpoint to the car's long, stretched shoulder line and sophisticated surfaces below.

The chrome strip in the car's flanks frames the Air Breathers in a vertical accent, before continuing in a straight line to the rear end. These surrounds for the front, side and rear air apertures create a geometrically precise impression and lend the car a sense of robust solidity. With their bold multispoke design, the 23-inch light-alloy wheels combine the muscularity for which BMW's X models are renowned with the exclusivity of a luxury BMW sedan, while aerodynamically optimized inlays between the spokes reduce drag.

The concept SAV embodies the company's understanding of luxury in the form of a striking exterior composed of intently focused lines, and combines it with a generously sized, six-seater interior pared with essential high-class materials.

Inside the roomy cabin, clear forms, warm colors and select materials combine to create a highly exclusive, sophisticated ambience. As a result of the interplay between precise, pared-down forms and an open sense of space, the driver and passengers will find themselves immersed in a very modern setting with an equally exclusive feel.

In addition, the large panoramic roof provides a remarkable amount of room above the occupants' heads while also giving the interior a light and airy, open-to-the-sky feel.

The six amply proportioned seats are arranged in three rows, and four of them have an exclusive individual design. The dark, olive-bronze leather with discreet gold pigmentation covering the seat bolsters carries the air of exclusivity through to the finer details.

The rear of the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance sends out an impressive statement of powerful authority and exclusive elegance. The imposing size of the vehicle's body - the key to its huge swathes of interior space - is particularly clear when viewed from the rear. Vertical aero lips mark out the rear of the car clearly from the flanks. Within the upright rear silhouette, the slim rear lights break up the body volumes and a classy chrome bar connects the two lighting elements.

The boldly designed lights create a three-dimensional L shape and bring a technical, high-quality flavor to the rear. And the subtle, body-colored rear bumper ensures the rear concludes its progress towards the road in stylish fashion.

haoyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/25/2018 page5)