BMW design chief explains the process behind the i4

BMW has a lot riding on its future electric cars. As sales figures will show, the customers are definitely starting to prefer electrified cars, as petrol- and diesel-powered models are starting to die down. Therefore, the upcoming BMW i4 and the iX electric SUV could possibly bring about a make or break moment for the Bavarian brand. While one is a completely new approach from Munich, the i4 has a design that somehow feels familiar.

That’s the main focus of the video posted below, in which BMW’s design boss, Domagoj Dukec explains how he and his team came up with the design of the i4 in the first place. The starting point was the BMW Vision 100 Next concept unveiled back in 2016, as BMW was celebrating its 100th anniversary. That concept was meant to be a sort of bridge between the past of the brand and the future and it truly brought forward some innovative ideas.

Then, in 2017, we saw the BMW EfficientDynamics concept, a more refined take on what the Vision 100 model, one that brought us one step closer to the production version. The EfficientDynamics model had a massive double-kidney element in the front fascia, along with sculpted light elements that mimicked the corona rings we’ve all grown to love. These two elements basically define a BMW in terms of styling.

Last, but not least, before we saw the production BMW i4 we also witnessed the launch of the BMW i4 Concept, a car that was meant to be a preview of the final product. It brought along taillights meant to remind us of a heartbeat (a hint at the emotions one should feel behind the wheel) as well as a new take on the rear diffuser and how it should be drawn. The production i4 was unveiled in full earlier this year and it is bound to arrive by 2022 in a showroom near you.