These days, it feels like every new vehicle that launches is some sort of crossover or SUV. While those are still critically important to BMW, in a conversation with Australia’s GoAuto, Oliver Heilmer — one of BMW’s most senior designers in charge of compact cars, Mini, BMW M and the Neue Klasse — said that sedans and their wagon variants are still “core” to the automaker and will continue to be as it enters the Neue Klasse era.
Heilmer admitted that the resurgence of sedans is sort of new and unexpected, telling GoAuto that a few years ago it seemed like sedans were something that “might disappear.” Here’s what else he told the outlet:
“[I]t’s quite stable to be honest. Now it’s something where we are setting a statement. We have said BMW is standing for sedans. A small, sporty, elegant, midsized sedan is the core of the (BMW) brand.”
As it stands right now, BMW sells six gas-powered sedans (nine if you include M cars) and three electric sedans in the U.S., more than just about anybody, and it seems like more are on the way. It just launched the iX3 crossover, but the plan is to dust off the old i3 nameplate and relaunch it as an electric 3 Series sooner rather than later. BMW is letting individual markets decide what types of vehicles it sells in them, according to Heilmer.
“Different markets are reacting differently to proportion. We always try out different kinds of shapes. (BMW) is always testing if the customer’s taste is changing.
“For instance, what we have learned is that the station wagon is becoming more popular in the United States. And then we are reacting (to) it,” he said.
A calmer BMW
For those of you who lament BMW’s current design language, I’ve got even more good news. Heilmer tells GoAuto that upcoming models will be “more calm.” That means you can start saying goodbye to the massive kidney grilles found on cars like the M3 and M4. The smaller grilles of the new iX3 will likely become the norm, with sedans not getting the kidneys at all.
It doesn’t have to be too in-your-face in terms of expression. It can be way more subtle. That is, maybe, the era we are in from a BMW perspective. We are talking about monolithic, clean surfaces – calm, but still highly emotional.”
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“We have a broad range of products at BMW. If there will be a (model) in future that we feel, in terms of presence, we are going to need a bigger representation of the kidney, we will do it,” Mr Heilmer said.
“But the core of the brand, the iX3, i3, is closer to (a) reference to what we had in the ’60s, where we said it doesn’t have to be that ‘loud’ for this type of car.”
It isn’t all good news for BMW purists, though. GoAuto reports that things like circular headlights might not make a return as LED technology continues to advance. I’m sure you’ll survive.
For a few generations, BMW has been in a sort of love-it-or-hate-it phase of design, and with the introduction of the iX3 and Neue Klasse as a whole, the German automaker definitely seems to be taking a more measured approach. With a recommitment to sedans and wagons, it certainly sounds like BMW wants to continue to be the enthusiast’s choice when it comes to picking luxury cars. I suppose we’ll just have to drive them to find out.
