GINA - The BMW Group Design philosophy. Challenging established concepts, hazarding visions.

Successful design arouses desire. In order to achieve this, it is more
crucial than ever before that car manufacturers create the conditions
that allow customers to establish a close relationship with their cars.
Therefore, designers seek ways to promote and intensify people's
identification with their car that reach beyond pure aesthetics. In the
premium segment in particular, customers demand cars that stir emotions
and allow them to express their individuality. BMW Group Design has set
another deepened objective for designing new cars that moves today's
consumers and their demand for enhanced utility and more versatility to
the top of their agenda. An innovative concept introduced by BMW Group
Design prepares the ground for this new approach: the GINA (Geometry
and Functions In "N" Adaptions) principle grants more freedom
for car design. It allows the creation of products with a design and
functional range that express individuality and meet the wide variety
of requirements of those who are using them. In the 21st century,
customers approach their purchasing decision with a high degree of
assertiveness, clearly defined requirements and subjective
concept-tions - particularly when it comes to selecting their means of
transport. In recent years, the interests and priorities that motivated
them have changed and, more importantly, they have become considerably
more diversified. This development will continue in the future. Today,
the BMW Group is already responding to the highly diversified range of
customer requirements and heightened expectations by providing services
such as a substantially more varied product range, ever increasing
possibilities for personalization and requirement-oriented production
among others. Future customer requirements as a benchmark. By
introducing the GINA philosophy, BMW Group Design presents ways of
meeting these challenges in the future. The philosophy expresses the
readiness and ability of BMW Group Design to consider individual
customer requirements as an integral part of car development.
Christopher E. Bangle, Head of BMW Group Design, speaks with conviction
when he says: "Personal customer requirements will broaden the
context of our products and change the core values that define our
industry along the way." For more than ten years now, these issues
have inspired Bangle's ideas. Time and time again, these ideas have
been motivating the BMW Group Design team to break new ground and to
find pioneering solutions. These results have spawned new customer
expectations which in turn inspires designers to develop further
innovations. GINA: Geometry and Functions In "N" Adaptions.
The GINA philosophy offers designers as well as development and
production specialists an opportunity to challenge existing principles
and conventional processes. Solutions that will benefit the car of the
future are examined without predefined rules and from as many
perspectives as possible. This also involves questioning what is
believed to be set in stone. Does a car roof really have to rest on
pillars and be bordered by windows? Do all functions have to be visible
at all times, even when they are not needed? How many personalization
options does my car offer? Are there any possible alternatives to the
rigid body shell made of steel or plastic? Questions like these lead to
groundbreaking, cross-segmental solutions - and visions of the future of
individual mobility. An essential principle of the GINA philosophy is
to deliberately integrate the potential of new materials and
pioneering, innovative constructions into the creative design process,
and the idea of challenging existing manufacturing methods and material
concepts. BMW Group DesignworksUSA, a subsidiary of the BMW Group that
operates globally and caters to companies across the industry, has
greatly inspired the design team at BMW Group Design. The design
agency's extensive experience with projects for a number of industrial
partners outside of automotive engineering, predominantly in the field
of material development and production. It is in the nature of such
visions that they do not necessarily claim to be suitable for series
production. Rather, they are intended to steer creativity and research
into new directions. This approach helps to tap into formerly
inconceivable, innovative potential that reaches far beyond the
appearance of future cars and takes into account not only materials and
structures but also functions and manufacturing processes. The
potential requirements of tomorrow's customers serve as a benchmark. In
addition to aesthetics, the GINA philosophy also deals with ergonomics,
the functional range and all other factors that rule customers'
emotional relationship with their car. With the development of the
GINA Light Visionary Model, the BMW Group presents examples of
visionary solutions. For the first time, exemplary adaptations of
various approaches described by the GINA philosophy are brought to life
to illustrate the potential impact of this concept on the future of
automotive engineering. The limits of current material properties and
manufacturing processes are projected far into the future. All
innovations that these cars present focus on the variable adaptation of
form and function based on individual and situation-related driver
requirements as well as the demands of the driving situation itself.
Therefore, both the exterior and the interior are equipped with a
variety of components that differ significantly from conventional
solutions, not only by the way they look but also in terms of their
basic properties. For example, the GINA Light Visionary Model presents
features such as a virtually seamless outer skin made of a textile
fabric that stretches across a moveable substructure. Functions are
only offered if and when they are actually required. The drastic
re-interpretation of familiar functionality and structure means that
drivers have a completely new experience when they handle their car.
Reducing the car to its essentials and adapting it to the driver's
requirements enhances the car's emotional impact and achieves a crucial
objective of the GINA philosophy. Visions spawn innovative concepts.
The strategy of challenging what is established, exploring new
possibilities and focusing on customer demands and requirements has
inspired the BMW Group to implement a wide variety of innovative
concepts. It has also affected the design of production cars in ways
that are completely new and unprecedented by any other car
manufacturer. A wide range of innovations that have been acclaimed for
their virtually revolutionary character is actually based on the GINA
philosophy. On the way from vision to production model, visionary ideas
have been turned into new concepts. Both the sculptural design
presented by the BMW X Coupé concept car, for example, and the
interplay of convex-concave surfaces that has affected the design of
all production vehicles, are derived from visions with an innovative
power. This power is generated by the unrestricted freedom that
characterizes the quest for wider design possibilities. In the example
mentioned above, the natural material properties of the outer skin have
been deliberately incorpo-rated into the design process. The design
process has integrated the twisted surfaces and has used the specific
sculptural aesthetics of the convex-concave elements that are created
by the material's reaction. The design of the BMW Z4, which has been
modeled on the BMW X Coupé concept car, is a striking example.
These visions could only be implemented because of the development of
completely new manufacturing technologies. As before, the objectives
defined by the GINA philosophy have been achieved thanks to the special
expertise of production engineers and their ability to move beyond
traditional methods. Their effort has allowed the creation of a form
language that has not only significantly enhanced aesthetic standards
and the significance of design as an expression of product substance,
but also the manufacturing processes themselves. Versatility in
function and form stirs emotions. Some of the pioneering visions that
are based on the GINA philosophy have also been implemented in the
interior design of concept cars such as the BMW CS1 concept car of
2002. This car's interior is equipped with control and functional
elements that become visible only if and when the driver wishes to
avail of them. Thanks to a flexible, Neoprene-covered instrument panel,
the driver's attention can focus on the required functions. This
situation-oriented variability of form and function invites the driver
to engage in a dialogue with his car. Using these functions, the driver
experiences an emotional reaction. This is caused by the fact that he
can adapt the car's appearance to suit his personal wishes. In this
application, the intelligent deployment of flexible material dispenses
with the need for complex mechanical features. At the same time, the
versatile appearance has a natural aesthetic appeal. The control
concept iDrive, first demonstrated by the BMW Z9 and refined in the BMW
CS1 concept car has long since become established as part of BMW
production models. It is a perfect enhancement to the spirit of the GINA
philosophy, as it is guided by the principle of displaying only those
functions to the driver that are relevant to the individual driving
situation. The cockpit adjusts to the driver's needs. As he handles the
car by interacting with it, the driver forms a strong emotional bond.
Integration of meaningful functions that are relevant to the customer.
It is one of the GINA principles to challenge existing solutions in
order to broaden the context, thus extending the scope of possibilities
for customers. In the engine compartment of the BMW CS1 concept car,
the engine cover has been replaced by flexible stretch material. A
graphical display panel provides information on the particular
arrangement of the service functions, integrated zip fasteners
facilitate easy, hands-on access to the filler caps of the cooling
water and wiper water tanks. A number of functions - cover, orientation
and access to service points - are integrated into one component in a
logical and attractive manner. This deliberately minimalist approach to
the deployment of components is an active contribution to the
protection of resources. Rapid Manufacturing for more versatility. As a
result of our interdisciplinary cooperation, we have developed a method
that allows manufacturers to decorate outer skin components that have
been preformed by conventional methods with individually configured
high-precision contour lines prior to their reintegration into the
manufacturing process. The GINA design philosophy has been applied to
Rapid Manufactu-ring to create an unparalleled method of manufacturing
single components fast, cost-efficiently and with a focus on individual
requirements. This combination of processes was first used during the
production of hoods for the BMW Z4 M Roadster and the BMW Z4 M
Coupé. These models received their distinctive contour lines at
a separate production stage which differed significantly from
conventional sheet metal processing. The lines were embossed into the
hood with pin-point precision by a robot-guided steel pin. This
approach allows for entirely new ways of individualized production.
With Rapid Manufacturing, customer preferences can be implemented when
car body elements and other components are designed to the
specifications of designers. New materials and manufacturing processes
create a natural aesthetic appeal. The cockpit surface of the BMW
Concept Coupé Mille Miglia 2006, which has been influenced by
the technology of industrial origami, is another example of
vision-based, revolutionary design. It has produced solutions that
reflect several guiding principles of the GINA Philosophy. The number
of components is significantly reduced compared to conventional
cockpits while completely new methods of combining different materials
have provided valuable stimulation for the conception of innovative
production technologies. The manufacturing process has deliberately
relied on the expertise and technical skills of highly-qualified
specialists, whose competence is a prerequisite for the practical
implementation of design visions. The exterior design of concept cars
also reflects innovative concepts resulting from the practical
implementation of visionary ideas. Both the sculptural design presented
by the BMW X Coupé concept car, for example, and the interplay
of convex-concave surfaces that has affected the design of all
produc-tion vehicles (introduced for the first time in the Z4), are
derived from visions with an innovative power. This power is generated
by the unrestricted freedom that characterizes the quest for wider
design possibilities. The design deliberately uses the interplay of
splines as character lines and the natural flow of stretched
convex-concave surfaces. The designer's metal processing ideas for the
interior of the BMW Mille Miglia Concept Coupé were inspired by
the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. An inherently stable,
three-dimensional structure was created from two-dimensional V2A sheets
of metal by means of a special laser cutting and folding processes.
This technique produced joints which were strategically employed for
integrating ventilation functions into the cockpit without the need for
additional elements. The result was an innovative solution with a
natural aesthetic appeal that was produced with a minimum amount of
tools. The GINA principle: Priority for sustainable solutions. The
GINA philosophy objective also includes the quest for sustainability on
different levels. The search for new materials and production
technologies favors solutions that work with less raw material and
energy. A minimalist approach to the use of components and production
stages yields ecological and economic benefits. As part of our endeavor
to create social sustainability, we are looking for production methods
that rely on the expertise of highly qualified specialists instead of
expensive manufacturing tools. With its goal-oriented research into
new materials, the assessment of production processes without tools
such as Rapid Manufacturing and the incentive to incessantly challenge
existing solutions, the BMW Group is already equipped with a variety of
tools that bring the implementation of the GINA philosophy to life for
the customer. Research objects such as the GINA Light Visionary Model
demonstrate that the principles of the GINA philosophy grant designers
maximum freedom for approaching their subject with visionary thinking.
This approach is used for finding solutions that offer customers new
possibilities of adapting forms and functions to suit a variety of
personal requirements and the driving situation in hand. They pave the
way for innovative ideas that can be implemented in concept cars in
order to stimulate series production. This way, visions can create
products that allow drivers to interact with their vehicle in ways that
reach far beyond the conventional individualization potential
established thus far. The GINA philosophy allows BMW Group Design to
support and steadily enhance this interaction and help drivers build a
strong emotional relationship with their car. With its sensible and
careful use of resources for products and their development, the GINA
principle contributes to the sustainability of future car generations.
After all, the social significance of the GINA philosophy is a product
of its heightened application of social aspects both to the development
processes and to the conscious reflection of customer requirements.