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Manufacturer Technical Specifications
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General
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Country Of Origin
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Germany
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Year Of Introduction
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2008
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Base Price When New
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N.A
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Miles Per Gallon
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N.A
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Body Type
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2 Door Convertible
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Curb Weight
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N.A
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Powertrain Layout
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Front Engine / RWD
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Transmission
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N.A
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Engine
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Configuration
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N.A
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Displacement
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N.A
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Power
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N.A
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Torque
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N.A
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BHP / Liter
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N.A
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BHP / Weight
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N.A
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Redline
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N.A
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Performance
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Top Speed
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N.A
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0 - 62 mph
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N.A
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0 - 100 mph
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N.A
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0 - 250 mile
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N.A
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Skidpad
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N.A
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Braking, 62-0 mph
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N.A
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Slalom Speed
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N.A
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Sponsors
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Wallpaper Gallery: 1600x1200
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Manufacturer Press Release
PRESS RELEASE
GINA - The BMW Group Design philosophy.
Challenging established concepts, hazarding visions
Successful design arouses desire. In order to achieve this, it is more crucial
than ever before that car manufacturers create the conditions that allow
customers to establish a close relationship with their cars. Therefore,
designers seek ways to promote and intensify people's identification with their
car that reach beyond pure aesthetics. In the premium segment in particular,
customers demand cars that stir emotions and allow them to express their
individuality. BMW Group Design has set another deepened objective for designing
new cars that moves today's consumers and their demand for enhanced utility and
more versatility to the top of their agenda. An innovative concept introduced by
BMW Group Design prepares the ground for this new approach: the GINA (Geometry
and Functions In "N" Adaptions) principle grants more freedom for car design. It
allows the creation of products with a design and functional range that express
individuality and meet the wide variety of requirements of those who are using
them.
In the 21st century, customers approach their purchasing decision with a high
degree of assertiveness, clearly defined requirements and subjective concept-tions
- particularly when it comes to selecting their means of transport.
In recent years, the interests and priorities that motivated them have changed
and, more importantly, they have become considerably more diversified. This
development will continue in the future. Today, the BMW Group is already
responding to the highly diversified range of customer requirements and
heightened expectations by providing services such as a substantially more
varied product range, ever increasing possibilities for personalization and
requirement-oriented production among others.
Future customer requirements as a benchmark
By introducing the GINA philosophy, BMW Group Design presents ways of meeting
these challenges in the future. The philosophy expresses the readiness and
ability of BMW Group Design to consider individual customer requirements as an
integral part of car development. Christopher E. Bangle, Head of BMW Group
Design, speaks with conviction when he says: "Personal customer requirements
will broaden the context of our products and change the core values that define
our industry along the way." For more than ten years now, these issues have
inspired Bangle's ideas. Time and time again, these ideas have been motivating
the BMW Group Design team to break new ground and to find pioneering solutions.
These results have spawned new customer expectations which in turn inspires
designers to develop further innovations.
GINA: Geometry and Functions In "N" Adaptions
The GINA philosophy offers designers as well as development and production
specialists an opportunity to challenge existing principles and conventional
processes. Solutions that will benefit the car of the future are examined
without predefined rules and from as many perspectives as possible. This also
involves questioning what is believed to be set in stone. Does a car roof really
have to rest on pillars and be bordered by windows? Do all functions have to be
visible at all times, even when they are not needed? How many personalization
options does my car offer? Are there any possible alternatives to the rigid body
shell made of steel or plastic?
Questions like these lead to groundbreaking, cross-segmental solutions - and
visions of the future of individual mobility. An essential principle of the GINA
philosophy is to deliberately integrate the potential of new materials and
pioneering, innovative constructions into the creative design process, and the
idea of challenging existing manufacturing methods and material concepts. BMW
Group DesignworksUSA, a subsidiary of the BMW Group that operates globally and
caters to companies across the industry, has greatly inspired the design team at
BMW Group Design. The design agency's extensive experience with projects for a
number of industrial partners outside of automotive engineering, predominantly
in the field of material development and production.
It is in the nature of such visions that they do not necessarily claim to be
suitable for series production. Rather, they are intended to steer creativity
and research into new directions. This approach helps to tap into formerly
inconceivable, innovative potential that reaches far beyond the appearance of
future cars and takes into account not only materials and structures but also
functions and manufacturing processes. The potential requirements of tomorrow's
customers serve as a benchmark. In addition to aesthetics, the GINA philosophy
also deals with ergonomics, the functional range and all other factors that rule
customers' emotional relationship with their car.
With the development of the GINA Light Visionary Model, the BMW Group presents
examples of visionary solutions. For the first time, exemplary adaptations of
various approaches described by the GINA philosophy are brought to life to
illustrate the potential impact of this concept on the future of automotive
engineering. The limits of current material properties and manufacturing
processes are projected far into the future. All innovations that these cars
present focus on the variable adaptation of form and function based on
individual and situation-related driver requirements as well as the demands of
the driving situation itself. Therefore, both the exterior and the interior are
equipped with a variety of components that differ significantly from
conventional solutions, not only by the way they look but also in terms of their
basic properties.
For example, the GINA Light Visionary Model presents features such as a
virtually seamless outer skin made of a textile fabric that stretches across a
moveable substructure. Functions are only offered if and when they are actually
required. The drastic re-interpretation of familiar functionality and structure
means that drivers have a completely new experience when they handle their car.
Reducing the car to its essentials and adapting it to the driver's requirements
enhances the car's emotional impact and achieves a crucial objective of the GINA
philosophy.
Visions spawn innovative concepts
The strategy of challenging what is established, exploring new possibilities and
focusing on customer demands and requirements has inspired the BMW Group to
implement a wide variety of innovative concepts. It has also affected the design
of production cars in ways that are completely new and unprecedented by any
other car manufacturer. A wide range of innovations that have been acclaimed for
their virtually revolutionary character is actually based on the GINA
philosophy. On the way from vision to production model, visionary ideas have
been turned into new concepts.
Both the sculptural design presented by the BMW X Coupé concept car, for
example, and the interplay of convex-concave surfaces that has affected the
design of all production vehicles, are derived from visions with an innovative
power. This power is generated by the unrestricted freedom that characterizes
the quest for wider design possibilities. In the example mentioned above, the
natural material properties of the outer skin have been deliberately
incorporated into the design process. The design process has integrated the
twisted surfaces and has used the specific sculptural aesthetics of the
convex-concave elements that are created by the material's reaction. The design
of the BMW Z4, which has been modeled on the BMW X Coupé concept car, is a
striking example.
These visions could only be implemented because of the development of completely
new manufacturing technologies. As before, the objectives defined by the GINA
philosophy have been achieved thanks to the special expertise of production
engineers and their ability to move beyond traditional methods. Their effort has
allowed the creation of a form language that has not only significantly enhanced
aesthetic standards and the significance of design as an expression of product
substance, but also the manufacturing processes themselves.
Versatility in function and form stirs emotions
Some of the pioneering visions that are based on the GINA philosophy have also
been implemented in the interior design of concept cars such as the BMW CS1
concept car of 2002. This car's interior is equipped with control and functional
elements that become visible only if and when the driver wishes to avail of
them. Thanks to a flexible, Neoprene-covered instrument panel, the driver's
attention can focus on the required functions. This situation-oriented
variability of form and function invites the driver to engage in a dialogue with
his car. Using these functions, the driver experiences an emotional reaction.
This is caused by the fact that he can adapt the car's appearance to suit his
personal wishes. In this application, the intelligent deployment of flexible
material dispenses with the need for complex mechanical features. At the same
time, the versatile appearance has a natural aesthetic appeal.
The control concept iDrive, first demonstrated by the BMW Z9 and refined in the
BMW CS1 concept car has long since become established as part of BMW production
models. It is a perfect enhancement to the spirit of the GINA philosophy, as it
is guided by the principle of displaying only those functions to the driver that
are relevant to the individual driving situation. The cockpit adjusts to the
driver's needs. As he handles the car by interacting with it, the driver forms a
strong emotional bond.
Integration of meaningful functions that are
relevant to the customer
It is one of the GINA principles to challenge existing solutions in order to
broaden the context, thus extending the scope of possibilities for customers. In
the engine compartment of the BMW CS1 concept car, the engine cover has been
replaced by flexible stretch material. A graphical display panel provides
information on the particular arrangement of the service functions, integrated
zip fasteners facilitate easy, hands-on access to the filler caps of the cooling
water and wiper water tanks. A number of functions - cover, orientation and
access to service points - are integrated into one component in a logical and
attractive manner. This deliberately minimalist approach to the deployment of
components is an active contribution to the protection of resources.
Rapid Manufacturing for more versatility
As a result of our interdisciplinary cooperation, we have developed a method
that allows manufacturers to decorate outer skin components that have been
preformed by conventional methods with individually configured high-precision
contour lines prior to their reintegration into the manufacturing process. The
GINA design philosophy has been applied to Rapid Manufactu-ring to create an
unparalleled method of manufacturing single components fast, cost-efficiently
and with a focus on individual requirements.
This combination of processes was first used during the production of hoods for
the BMW Z4 M Roadster and the BMW Z4 M Coupé. These models received their
distinctive contour lines at a separate production stage which differed
significantly from conventional sheet metal processing. The lines were embossed
into the hood with pin-point precision by a robot-guided steel pin. This
approach allows for entirely new ways of individualized production.
With Rapid Manufacturing, customer preferences can be implemented when car body
elements and other components are designed to the specifications of designers.
New materials and manufacturing processes create
a natural aesthetic appeal
The cockpit surface of the BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia 2006, which has been
influenced by the technology of industrial origami, is another example of
vision-based, revolutionary design. It has produced solutions that reflect
several guiding principles of the GINA Philosophy. The number of components is
significantly reduced compared to conventional cockpits while completely new
methods of combining different materials have provided valuable stimulation for
the conception of innovative production technologies. The manufacturing process
has deliberately relied on the expertise and technical skills of
highly-qualified specialists, whose competence is a prerequisite for the
practical implementation of design visions.
The exterior design of concept cars also reflects innovative concepts resulting
from the practical implementation of visionary ideas. Both the sculptural design
presented by the BMW X Coupé concept car, for example, and the interplay of
convex-concave surfaces that has affected the design of all produc-tion vehicles
(introduced for the first time in the Z4), are derived from visions with an
innovative power. This power is generated by the unrestricted freedom that
characterizes the quest for wider design possibilities. The design deliberately
uses the interplay of splines as character lines and the natural flow of
stretched convex-concave surfaces.
The designer's metal processing ideas for the interior of the BMW Mille Miglia
Concept Coupé were inspired by the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. An
inherently stable, three-dimensional structure was created from two-dimensional
V2A sheets of metal by means of a special laser cutting and folding processes.
This technique produced joints which were strategically employed for integrating
ventilation functions into the cockpit without the need for additional elements.
The result was an innovative solution with a natural aesthetic appeal that was
produced with a minimum amount of tools.
The GINA principle: Priority for sustainable
solutions
The GINA philosophy objective also includes the quest for sustainability on
different levels. The search for new materials and production technologies
favors solutions that work with less raw material and energy. A minimalist
approach to the use of components and production stages yields ecological and
economic benefits. As part of our endeavor to create social sustainability, we
are looking for production methods that rely on the expertise of highly
qualified specialists instead of expensive manufacturing tools.
With its goal-oriented research into new materials, the assessment of production
processes without tools such as Rapid Manufacturing and the incentive to
incessantly challenge existing solutions, the BMW Group is already equipped with
a variety of tools that bring the implementation of the GINA philosophy to life
for the customer. Research objects such as the GINA Light Visionary Model
demonstrate that the principles of the GINA philosophy grant designers maximum
freedom for approaching their subject with visionary thinking. This approach is
used for finding solutions that offer customers new possibilities of adapting
forms and functions to suit a variety of personal requirements and the driving
situation in hand.
They pave the way for innovative ideas that can be implemented in concept cars
in order to stimulate series production.
This way, visions can create products that allow drivers to interact with their
vehicle in ways that reach far beyond the conventional individualization
potential established thus far. The GINA philosophy allows BMW Group Design to
support and steadily enhance this interaction and help drivers build a strong
emotional relationship with their car. With its sensible and careful use of
resources for products and their development, the GINA principle contributes to
the sustainability of future car generations. After all, the social significance
of the GINA philosophy is a product of its heightened application of social
aspects both to the development processes and to the conscious reflection of
customer requirements
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