Last starring role: Bangle with Concept 5 GT
It was in with the new car and out with the old designer. Unveiling the Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo was the last ‘performance’ of BMW’s design chief Chris Bangle.
The 52-year-old Bangle announced he’ll be leaving his employer of 17 years at the end of this month, though his successor, Adrian van Hooydonk, is already at the helm as BMW’s global design chief.
“I am not here to talk about myself, but to talk about the car,” said Bangle, who was filling in for van Hooydonk, who was living up to an old appointment he had in New York. And what Bangle revealed, was that the Concept 5 is a thinly-disguised version of the 5 Series Gran Turismo, that will bow at the IAA in Frankfurt in September – and go into production soon after.
With the Gran Turismo, BMW is targeting upscale customers, who have grown out of minivans and SUVs and are looking for an elegant alternative with lots of room and a high degree of practicality. BMW even designates the GT – known internally as the Progressive Activity Sedan – a car to create a new niche.
Concept 5's original interior design theme
Whether or not other manufacturers will follow BMW’s lead is uncertain, but the GT is clearly unconventional, with a four-door, coupe-like exterior complimented by a luxurious and sophisticated interior, that has enough head and leg room to accommodate people over 6 feet tall.
Interior designer Oliver Heimer said practicality was at the top of the list when BMW set out to develp[ the GT, with the design of the rear part of the car particularly important. “Not many people pay attention, but if you take a good look, you can see the lines starting in the front doors, flowing through in the rear doors. “It was hard to work with the engineers,” but essential to make sure a striking design did not cost the GT its functionality.
The designers started penning their ideas on paper five years ago. In January 2005 the prototype was presented to the BMW Board, Heimer recalls, adding that, “When I saw their reaction — they were positively surprised — I knew we were going to build it.”
Concept 5 clearly influenced by new 7-Series
BMW hopes that by the end of this year, when the 5 Series GT hits market, the financial crisis will have turned around, and that customers will be looking forward to buy something new.
The exterior design of the GT is much in line with that of the recently renewed 7 Series. The car will also get some systems from the 7-er , such as HUD (head-up display) and lane change warning.
The 5 GT seats just four adults because of the center console running from front to rear. The rear seats can be slid back and forth and the rear backrests can be folded down, but there is a bulkhead separating the cabin from the luggage compartment. “That will keep you comfortable when somebody is loading something,” said Bangle during his presentation, “and keep the contents of the luggage compartment out reach.”
Another new feature is the split lift gate. It can be raised in full, or you can open the smaller part above the bumper and slide your goods into the luggage compartment.
The 5 GT is built on the L6 platform that is also used for the 5, 6 and 7 Series Bimmers. The car does not only look big, but with 196.7 inches it is 6.2 inches longer than the current 5 Series, while only 4 inches shorter than the 7.
Coupe-like sedan with an SUV-like hatch
The GT will be available with a 3.0-liter six-cylinder or a 4.0-liter V-8. Both engines are based on the current versions, but will be updated with the latest technologies of BMW’s EfficientDynamics. The 3.0-liter and 3.5-liter diesel engines will be available, at least in Europe. The GT is the first BMW that gets a sequential 8-speed automatic transmission that has been developed by ZF.
The price of the GT are will be announced at the autumn debut of the production version. Meanwhile, the public will get a first look at the concept in Geneva, and the production model at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
As for Bangle, will this be his last stand with BMW? Maybe not. Though he has suggested that his plans are to set up some sort of non-automotive design operation, he hinted “I will keep my e-mail here at BMW.” So, he was asked, will he stay on in some limited role? “No, not an advisor, Adrian and the complete team are completely fit to do the job.”
In fact, after a year, Bangle will be free to sign on with any other company in the car industry. Meanwhile though some “sources” suggest he could return to California, where he went to school and his son now lives, an alternative is Northern Italy, where he and his wife, Chris, are in the process of building a new house. As Bangle has proved, many times, he is a man capable of delivering surprises.