Realising the importance of the emerging Chinese market, BMW has chosen to show its new Concept CS at Auto Shanghai rather than wait for Frankfurt in September. In a similar vein to the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the new BMW concept is a four-door saloon with a sweeping roofline that gives it the appearance of a coupé.
Combining the attributes of a sports car with the practicality of a four-door saloon, BMW defines the Concept CS as a "Gran Turismo for the luxury segment". The CS is an evolution of BMW's current convex-concave design language; a big one too at 5106mm in length. With a wheelbase of 3142mm and an overall width of 2225mm, the CS Concept is roughly the size of BMW's current
7 Series saloon. The big difference, however, lies in the height; at a low 1367mm, the CS is over 120mm lower than the 7 Series and even 22mm shorter than a Mercedes CLS.
Viewed from the front, reverse-projection LED head lamps (with opaque 'eye-lids') are mounted high and integrated into the front wings. A long, sculpted bonnet blends into the shark-nosed front end incorporating BMW's classic kidney grille, though the latter has increased to monumental proportions, not thought necessary to provide adequate cooling to the 5-litre V10 lurking behind.
A low slung roofline sweeps over the body's curvaceous lines and tapers toward the very short rear deck, almost appearing to incorporate the rear window in the bootlid. Neatly integrated into the bottom section of the bumper are quad tailpipes, two at each corner, protruding through openings that mimic the shape of the rear lights.
Flush-mounted door handles (activated by sensors to automatically move out when needed) enhance the swooping metal work in the flanks and don't diminish the slippery profile. A taut 'A-line' is split into two sections; running the width of the body panels from behind the front wheel opening, it suddenly stops halfway through the rear door before picking up again and raising toward the rear, accentuating the bold rear haunches. Aggressively flared wheel arches housing 21-inch alloy wheels and a wider rear track denote the Concept CS's sporting pretensions.
The contoured interior mimics the car's exterior design with a tri-coloured dashboard wrapping around the driver-oriented cockpit. There are only four dials to operate the climate control and electronics and the cockpit is devoid of LCD screens (though the iDrive interface dial is still apparent on the centre console, between the front seats).
Layered surfaces of the instrument panel incorporate "clearly defined functional joints" for the air vents and ambient lighting while BMW's characteristic red-lit double circular dials are recessed ahead of a two-tone contrast-coloured steering wheel adorned with aluminium inserts. Leather surfaces on the instrument panel continue on to the doors and also run along the outer edges of the roof lining.
Unlike the 7 Series, the Concept CS is a strict four-seater and the interior is divided into four distinct sections. Leather sport seats for the driver and front passenger are mounted low for an enhanced sporty feel, and the rear individual sport seats are separated by a centre console running the length of the cabin. Both the front and rear seats feature the same contour support and design.
As with most concepts, BMW's CS illustrates the possible future styling direction the company will adopt. But one can't help but think this sleek 'coupé' will be the basis for a car Munich will build as an answer to the forthcoming Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera; imminent models that would be direct competitors to a vehicle with these proportions. Here's hoping!
Eric Gallina - 21 Apr 2007
