BMW Gina Light Visionary Concept: Lighter, More Flexible, & Cooler

The BMW GINA Light Visionary Model that was seen in the BMW Museum in Munich last week has finally been revealed, and the futuristic design study shows how BMW designers are thinking outside of the box when it comes to the materials that make up a car and also how the car relates to the driver.

GINA stands for "Geometry and Functions in 'N' Adaptations", which basically means that designers from both BMW and BMW Group DesignworksUSA were allowed to throw out the rulebook. This is most evident in the GINA Light Visionary Model's outer skin, which is made entirely out of textile fabric that's pulled taut around a frame of metal and carbon fiber wires. The skeleton of the car is controlled by electro-hydraulic devices and can actually move and change shape beneath the fabric skin. For instance, the headlights of the concept can be exposed or hidden by the car's skin just like blinking eyes, and the hood opens from the center as the fabric parts to expose the engine.

Watch Chris Bangle, head of design for BMW, talking about GINA:



Bangle and is team actually built GINA six years ago, but BMW kept it under wraps until Tuesday. It's built on the Z8 chassis and has a 4.4-liter V8 and six-speed automatic transmission. BMW says the fabric skin - polyurethane-coated Lycra - is resilient, durable and water resistant. It's stretched over an aluminum frame controlled by electric and hydraulic actuators that allow the owner to change the body shape.

BMW says the shape of the body can be changed without slackening or damaging the fabric. The fabric is opaque so the taillights shine through, and small motors pull the fabric back to reveal the headlights. The interior is equally innovative. The steering wheel and gauges swing into place and the headrest rises from the seat once the driver is seated, making it easier to get in and out of the car.

Hmmm, I liked cartouche's comment in Wired when he said, "After seeing the opening in the hood, I see how GINA must be pronounced."

Read Also:
BMW GINA Light Visionary Model: Premiere (BMW-web.tv)
BMW GINA Light Visionary Model revealed (Autoblog)
BMW Builds a Shape-Shifting Car Out of Cloth (Wired)
BMW concept points to a lighter future (BusinessCar)