BMW 1M Coupe, 6 Series, ActiveE, and Motorcycles Garner 2011 GOOD DESIGN Awards

[Jason]

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BMW 6 Series, 1M Coupe, ActiveE, and Motorcycles Garnet 2011 GOOD DESIGN Awards

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BMW Group Design once again scoops a clutch of prizes at the 2011 GOOD DESIGN™ Awards.

The BMW 6 Series Convertible, BMW 6 Series Coupe, BMW 1 Series M Coupe, BMW ActiveE, BMW K 1600 GT/GTL and BMW G 650 GS all take home the coveted design award.

Munich - January 20, 2012... No fewer than six BMW Group models have received the prestigious 2011 GOOD DESIGNTM Award: the BMW 6 Series Convertible, the BMW 6 Series Coupe, the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, the BMW ActiveE, and the two motorcycle models BMW K 1600 GT/GTL along with the BMW G650 GS. The annual GOOD DESIGNTM Award ranks as the most celebrated international accolade in the field of product design – and this year once again it honours the outstanding quality of BMW Group Design.

The world’s oldest and most esteemed design prize was founded in 1950 in Chicago by the architects Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Edgar Kaufmann Jr. is awarded by the Chicago Athenaeum and the European Centre for Architecture, Art Design and Urban Studies. For more than 60 years now, this coveted accolade has recognised exceptionally innovative and visionary products, concepts and ideas that go beyond the regular horizons of everyday product design. The aim of the award, not least of all, is to raise public awareness of contemporary design together with related issues of sustainability.

The prize is awarded based on the criteria of functionality and aesthetics as originally laid down by Saarinen and Eames, and is now complemented by an ecological aspect that stipulates sustainable design in keeping with our times. 2011 saw the independent jury of design experts and architects sifting through a record number of applications from around the world to decide their final selection of more than 500 product designs and graphics from 38 countries that were deemed worthy of the GOOD DESIGN Award.

The new BMW 6 Series Convertible combines a stretched bonnet, set-back passenger compartment, long wheelbase and flat waistline with a classic soft-top roof featuring a distinctive “fin” design. The car’s powerfully contoured surfaces and forward-surging lines are a reflection of its dynamic handling properties.

Aesthetes who delight in luxury and forward-looking technology need look no further than the new BMW 6 Series Coupe, combining as it does dynamic athleticism with exclusive travel comfort. Adaptive LED Headlights represent an innovation in lighting technology and draw on the hallmark round headlight look in a new rendition of BMW’s iconic design cues.

The new BMW 1 Series M Coupe cuts a compelling figure with its athletic demeanour and M-specific interior design. The optimised track width of the front and rear axles, an expansive front apron and powerfully flared wheel arches lend the BMW 1 Series M Coupe its unmistakable character. The two sets of chrome-plated twin tailpipes, situated at the outer edges of the rear, make for the symmetrical look familiar from M styling.

With the BMW ActiveE, an all-electric-drive BMW 1 Series Coupe, BMW is testing everyday usage of electric vehicles. The insights gleaned from this field test will flow directly into series development of the BMW i3. The intelligent configuration of the drive components and energy storage systems within the vehicle create the ideal prerequisites for customary BMW driving dynamics and extended functionality. This electric car offers four full seats, boot space of around 200 litres, rear-wheel drive and a range of approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) in day-to-day operation.

With its BMW K 1600 GT and BMW K 1600 GTL, BMW Motorrad is tapping into a new dimension of the touring experience. Both these motorcycles present a self-assured, imposing and distinctive appearance, sparking off a hefty dose of wanderlust at first glance.

With its lean and wiry off-road physique, the BMW G 650 GS motorbike evokes an impression of lightness and adventurousness. Its characteristic enduro design and its colour concept are fully in keeping with the BMW GS family style and round off the bike’s overall sporty impression. The quality and specification of this model coupled with its long-distance comfort set it apart from the competitors.

BMW Group Design has already won the coveted design award several times in the past. Last year it was the BMW 5 Series Sedan, the MINI Countryman, the BMW S 1000 RR and the BMW Concept 6 design study that captured the prestigious prize. In 2008 honours went to the BMW 3 Series Convertible, the BMW 1 Series Coupe, the MINI Cooper S Clubman and four BMW motorcycles. Back in 2007, the jury of the GOOD DESIGN Award paid tribute to the new BMW X5, the BMW 3 Series Coupe, the new MINI and three motorcycle models.

[hybris4u]

Nice!

"The new BMW 1 Series M Coupe cuts a compelling figure with its athletic demeanour and M-specific interior design. The optimised track width of the front and rear axles, an expansive front apron and powerfully flared wheel arches lend the BMW 1 Series M Coupe its unmistakable character. The two sets of chrome-plated twin tailpipes, situated at the outer edges of the rear, make for the symmetrical look familiar from M styling."

[Rikx1M]

sweet...something we've all know...it looks great.

[ozinaldo]

Well deserved, thanks for posting.

[LOVEM]

Job Well Done. M Brand

[Artemis]

You see now, Porsche? Offering the Cayman R instead of the Cayman S to motoring journalists to pit against the 1M, all was to no avail. The 1M ain't only chosen as the beast, but now also as the beauty...

[bayer]

Acollades keep rolling in! Good year for BMW group and great year for M!

[///M1]

Good job!

Looks as del know are very subjective, I still remember a rag review calling the 1 ///M 'having looks only a mother can love"... LOL

[hybris4u]

I think that the 1M is more than worth it. Its a lovely looking car.

[Powerbeast]

Looks awesome and much deserved.

[mPlasticDesign]

After all the posts/threads that had people saying how ugly it is, this is a little vindication!

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by Mr.Metak2you

After all the posts/threads that had people saying how ugly it is, this is a little vindication!

...and achieved after the 1M production for the US has ceased. Hyperbolic comparison: Vincent Van Gogh managed to sell only one of his 900 paintings during his lifetime ("Le vignoble de vin rouge à Arles").

[gazz]

I can't take this seriously. "final selection of more than 500 product designs " means to me that everyone gets a prize. "exceptionally innovative and visionary products, concepts and ideas that go beyond the regular horizons of everyday product design", sorry but I just can't see this at work in the 1M. Where's the exceptional innovation? Everything in the 1M is used from previous models. And there's nothing particularly visionary in a parts bin special. That's been done plenty of times before.
I can't ascertain where beauty is mentioned, "cuts a compelling figure " is the closest I can see to a subjective judgement and one I can agree with in the description "athletic demeanour".

Rubbish like this overlooks the 1Ms real strengths and significance - i.e. a driver's car par excellance.

If GOOD DESIGNTM are the cutting edge of design appreciation, ( rather than, as I suspect, just another industry group ostensibly set up as an independent body but who's real purpose is to garner ( not garnet BTW ) subscriptions from industry in return for awards ), then good design recognition is dead in the water.

And yes I do own a 1M.

This will make me popular.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by gazz

I can't take this seriously. "final selection of more than 500 product designs " means to me that everyone gets a prize. "exceptionally innovative and visionary products, concepts and ideas that go beyond the regular horizons of everyday product design", sorry but I just can't see this at work in the 1M. Where's the exceptional innovation? Everything in the 1M is used from previous models. And there's nothing particularly visionary in a parts bin special. That's been done plenty of times before.
I can't ascertain where beauty is mentioned, "cuts a compelling figure " is the closest I can see to a subjective judgement and one I can agree with in the description "athletic demeanour".
Rubbish like this overlooks the 1Ms real strengths and significance - i.e. a driver's car par excellance.
If GOOD DESIGNTM are the cutting edge of design appreciation, ( rather than, as I suspect, just another industry group ostensibly set up as an independent body but who's real purpose is to garner ( not garnet BTW ) subscriptions from industry in return for awards ), then good design recognition is dead in the water.
And yes I do own a 1M.
This will make me popular.

Maybe you got a point that it's just some organization playing on the safe side by jumping on the bandwagon of the positive comments garnered for the 1M, craving for attention.

However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating:
- go drive your 1M and ask yourself how you feel about it and ask others what they think about it;
- would you have gotten yourself the 1M if it had the drive qualities of a "driver's car par excellence" but had the arousingly exciting eye-appeal of a Prius ?

[gazz]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Maybe you got a point that it's just some organization playing on the safe side by jumping on the bandwagon of the positive comments garnered for the 1M, craving for attention.

No that's not my point at all. My point is that there is very little, if even nothing, that is particularly "innovative" or "visionary" about a 1M. Which is what is stated as award criteria, among others.


[/QUOTE]
However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating:
- go drive your 1M and ask yourself how you feel about it and ask others what they think about it;
- would you have gotten yourself the 1M if it had the drive qualities of a "driver's car par excellence" but had the arousingly exciting eye-appeal of a Prius?[/QUOTE]

I thought I had already stated my opinion of the 1M by agreeing with "athletic demeanour" and I also agree with "unmistakable character". However, though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I do not consider it a beautiful car. That is just my opinion and has little relevance to my critcism of GOOD DESIGNTM. As to what others think about it - well that isn't really all that important to me. A few have ventured (unsolicited) opinions ranging from an enthusiastic "looks good" to "meh, it's a car".
As to the Prius, I quite like its' appearance. Would I want one? No. It has too many inherent contradictions to be relevant for me. But that's another topic.

Would I have a 1M if it had the visual appeal of a Prius? Hmm, that's tricky and you know I'm not really sure. I think probably not. I like the look of the 1M; like an athlete in tight clothing.

[ozinaldo]

Maybe a good design doesn't need to be "pretty" in every product. An unmistakeable and purposeful look is the heart of the matter here. I wouldn't want the 1M to be pretty or elegant so to speak. I wanted it to be rough and strong and aggressive/mean, but also compact and kind of simple. It has all these, its exterior and to some point its interior design fit with its purpose and just perfectly mimics the character or soul of this car. This design made you like it and buy it, aren't you turning back and giving it a one last look when you park?

[mPlasticDesign]

Originally Posted by gazz

No that's not my point at all. My point is that there is very little, if even nothing, that is particularly "innovative" or "visionary" about a 1M. Which is what is stated as award criteria, among others.

I can think of at least one. Used for the first time ever on any BMW was the integrated front end "air-curtains." Yes it borrowed the best parts from the M3, but the form had to change dramatically to accommodate them. It truly is the definition of form following the function of it's parts.

Originally Posted by gazz

......However, though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I do not consider it(1M) a beautiful car......As to the Prius, I quite like its' appearance. Would I want one? No. It has too many inherent contradictions to be relevant for me. But that's another topic.......I like the look of the 1M; like an athlete in tight clothing.

Ok I think I know what your saying now....

a. You don't think the 1M is beautiful
b. You quite like the appearance of the Prius
c. You like athletes in tight clothes

[hybris4u]

Prius? The worst looking car ever! How did that sneak into the discussion?

100% agree with Jeremy:

[Artemis]

Before getting back on topic again: I don't mind the Prius, as long as some of its owners refrain from lecturing other road users.

[hybris4u]

People have the right to buy what they want. So I don't mind other driving it either. But my personal taste? Spot on what Clarkson says! Over here in Sweden many Prius owners drive very aggressive. Not sure why but they do. ;-)

Back to topic! The 1M is a wonderful looking car! I would say if you don't like it you probably don't like the looks of BMW in general. Even more important its the funniest car that is still practical for that price! Love it!