adrian van hooydonk, senior vice president BMW group design on BMW serie 6 LED technologyadrian van hooydonk talks about integrated LED technology in the iF gold award-winning BMW 6 series coupe image courtesy BMW

 

 

presented at the 2011 geneva motor show, the 2012 BMW 6 series coupe is strongly based on the concept car unveiled at the 2010 paris motor show. the BMW 6 series coupe won 5 iF awards and the 2012 iF gold award, the prestigious special prize of the international forum design. adaptive LED headlights usher in innovative lighting technology and mark their debut in this segment,  while the hallmark twin round headlight configuration presents a new rendition of BMW’s iconic design cue.

 

 

presentation by adrian van hooydonk at the neue sammlung in munich video © designboom

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology
clay model in the BMW museum in munich
image © designboom 

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology clay model image © designboom

 

 

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology

sketch

 

 

the new BMW 6 series coupe interprets classic coupe features in a most exclusive and luxurious form. flowing lines and athletically modeled surfaces define the body of the BMW 6 series coupe introducing an air of sensuous sporting flair.

 

 

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology hand rendering of coupe

 

 

when viewed from the side, the BMW 6 series coupe looks elegantly stretched and well-toned with taut proportions

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology prototyping image courtesy BMW

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology BMW 6er coupé with adaptive LED headlights image courtesy BMW

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology front view : the ‘shark nose’ and adaptive LED headlights image courtesy BMW

 

 

the BMW kidney grille provides a dynamic forward thrust while the engine hood rises powerfully over the front axle and merges smoothly with the elegant coupe roof line.

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology 6 series coupe image courtesy BMW

 

 

with its 4,894 mm width (2,081 with the side mirrors) the new 6 series coupe is longer and wider than its predecessor, while the total height has been reduced to 1,369 mm.

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology interior view image courtesy BMW

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology BMW welt, the company’s own museum in munich, where the 2012 iF award ceremony took place image © designboom

adrian van hooydonk on BMW series 6 LED technology BMW winning six awards in total, one of them the iF gold award image © designboom

 

 

about adrian van hooydonk

 

born in the netherlands, adrian van hooydonk studied at delft polytechnic university in holland and later at the art center europe in vevey, switzerland, until 1992. from there he came to munich, where he joined BMW as a designer. in the year 2000 he went to california to work for the BMW group subsidiary designworksUSA. he was director of the internationally renowned design agency from 2001 to 2004. then, under chris bangle as the BMW group’s head of design, he became head of the brand design studio for BMW automobiles. the BMW 6 series and 7 series lines clearly bear the hallmark of van hooydonk’s design influence, as do the Z9 concept car, the BMW concept CS (unveiled in 2007) and the M1 hommage study.
 
 

about the iF design award

 

over the past 60 years or so, the iF design award of the international forum design has emerged as one of the highest seals of approval for outstanding design achievements. this year once again, manufacturers and designers from 48 countries submitted a total of 4,322 entries for the coveted award. the panel of judges, made up of internationally recognised design experts, deemed 1,218 submissions worthy of an award. the iF design awards 2012 were presented at BMW welt.
 
 
 
 
this newly initiated series of events is committed to a clear-cut goal: to encourage high-calibre, in-depth debate on design issues and concepts. to this end, the planned annual MCBW aims to stimulate an interdisciplinary design discourse and bring together creative and business professionals from around the world in the bavarian capital. this year’s MCBW programme comprises more than 90 events, which will be ongoing across the entire munich metropolitan area until 12 February. here BMW welt assumes a special role in more ways than one: as the location of the MCBW press office. it is a central hub of information on all aspects of the design event, while also serving as the location partner for various MCBW events. in addition to hosting the presentation of the iF design awards, BMW welt was also the venue for the MCBW launch ceremony.