Autocar April 27, 2022

THE BMW STYLING pile-on can happen elsewhere, yet love it or more likely loathe it, Munich’s new design direction is now firmly here to stay. With the new 7 Series revealed this week (p6), the shock factor has only increased further. Robert Kahlenberg, the car’s project director, notes that the styling is only giving 7 Series buyers in its largest market (he doesn’t name China, but it’s there) what they want. Yet are global design tastes really that different? For almost two decades, Apple has been hailed as the vanguard in product design – and its designs are appreciated and admired all around the world. It, like most other top premium brands, enjoys just as much success in China as in other global markets without the need to tailor designs so crudely…

THE BMW STYLING pile-on can happen elsewhere, yet love it or more likely loathe it, Munich’s new design direction is now firmly here to stay. With the new 7 Series revealed this week (p6), the shock factor has only increased further. Robert Kahlenberg, the car’s project director, notes that the styling is only giving 7 Series buyers in its largest market (he doesn’t name China, but it’s there) what they want. Yet are global design tastes really that different? For almost two decades, Apple has been hailed as the vanguard in product design – and its designs are appreciated and admired all around the world. It, like most other top premium brands, enjoys just as much success in China as in other global markets without the need to tailor designs…

The seventh incarnation of BMW’s flagship 7 Series saloon, on sale from November, is the largest and most luxurious version yet and includes pure-electric models for the first time. A minimalist three-box silhouette with familiar proportions characterises the overall shape, but to give it the visual impact to suit its elevated positioning, the upmarket four-door has a bold new exterior design. “We wanted to give the new model a more striking appearance,” said 7 Series project director Robert Kahlenberg. “Customers in our largest markets are generally younger and demand a more contemporary look than perhaps what we’re used to in Europe, where the average age of buyers is higher.” The illuminated front grille is even bigger than before and the separation of the headlights, with the LED running lights positioned above and the…

The mighty 7 Series is a car as future-proofed and globally friendly as it is possible to imagine. The recent commodities boom has left car makers concerned about the future price of batteries and the supply of materials. Some analysts predict that pack costs could spiral upwards over the next two years. That’s bad news if your business is based on pure-EVs. But the 7 Series’ new architecture is able to shape-shift as the market demand changes. BMW executives at the 7 Series unveiling were a little more confident in saying the quiet part out loud: some customers will not want to buy a pure-EV. The diesel 7 Series has a range of 745 miles on one tank, they said, and the tank on the PHEV models is nearly as capacious as on…

The seventh incarnation of BMW’s flagship 7 Series saloon, on sale from November, is the largest and most luxurious version yet and includes pure-electric models for the first time. A minimalist three-box silhouette with familiar proportions characterises the overall shape, but to give it the visual impact to suit its elevated positioning, the upmarket four-door has a bold new exterior design. “We wanted to give the new model a more striking appearance,” said 7 Series project director Robert Kahlenberg. “Customers in our largest markets are generally younger and demand a more contemporary look than perhaps what we’re used to in Europe, where the average age of buyers is higher.” The illuminated front grille is even bigger than before and the separation of the headlights, with the LED running lights positioned…

The mighty 7 Series is a car as future-proofed and globally friendly as it is possible to imagine. The recent commodities boom has left car makers concerned about the future price of batteries and the supply of materials. Some analysts predict that pack costs could spiral upwards over the next two years. That’s bad news if your business is based on pure-EVs. But the 7 Series’ new architecture is able to shape-shift as the market demand changes. BMW executives at the 7 Series unveiling were a little more confident in saying the quiet part out loud: some customers will not want to buy a pure-EV. The diesel 7 Series has a range of 745 miles on one tank, they said, and the tank on the PHEV models is nearly as…