the monolith: rethink design with the exterior of the first-ever BMW iX

‘the iX has the role of being a pinnacle, a technical lighthouse,’ begins kai langer, head of BMW i design, in the first episode of the brand’s ‘rethinking design’ series. the film, titled ‘the monolith’, takes a look at the exterior design of the BMW iX. scheduled for production in late 2021, the car debuts a highly emotional, sculptural design that subtly hints at its integration of leading electric, connectivity and autonomous technologies.

rethink design by watching the first episode above.

a large, monolith form defines the exterior of the car

‘the way we designed the product goes a little deeper,’ explains kai langer. the BMW iX introduces a new architecture developed from an aluminum spaceframe construction with a carbon cage. this pushes the car’s physical proportions to the max, inside and out. as such, it redefines the sports activity vehicle standard at 4,922 mm long, 2,004 mm wide and 1,696 mm tall. for BMW enthusiasts, this is akin to the length and width of the X5, and the height of the X6.

super slim LEDs feature on the front and back

‘the exterior is monolithic. every detail is designed to blend in with the sculpture,’ adds clarifies dirk müller-stolz, head of BMW i exterior design. a reduced use of character lines distinguishes a minimalist body with generously smoothed surfaces. this ensures its powerful, imposing proportions become sculptural whilst also monolithic. the reduced design language steers the eyes of the onlooker to its details. to start, the vertical kidney grille is paired by BMW’s slimmest headlights on either side. its thinness is mirrored with the LED rear lights. flush-fitted door openers, BMW i blue highlights, and the i brand’s signature side window graphic complete its polished design.

the design includes the BMW  i brand’s signature receding side window graphic

‘we tried to create some sort of wow effect. it [the design process] was more of a philosophical approach to how we want to integrate all these high tech possibilities into a more human interactional scenario,’ states kai.

the BMW iX pushed the boundaries of their design – or, in fact, rethink design

in size, shape and style, the exterior design is all new. and it needed to be so to integrate all its innovations in technology, from automated driving through to connectivity and electric mobility. the car was designed to be a beacon for the near future, not the distanced. this meant the design team needed to think differently. tianyuan li, exterior designer, continues to say, ‘we thought big and bold, with 20 people exploring freaky ideas. we started from scratch. it was like regaining the feeling of having just graduated – draw what we think, think without boundaries.’

‘the exterior is monolithic. every detail is designed to blend in with the sculpture,’ adds dirk müller-stolz, head of BMW i exterior design

the design not only brings a concept to life, it realizes the brand’s ideas for the future of mobility. its symbolic, monolith form epitomizes the BMW iX. it is voluminous yet sculpted. it is minimal yet detailed. it is all new yet instantly recognizable. the car, bathed in a standout titanium bronze hue, gravitates towards onlookers on an emotional level. its intriguing exterior design welcomes you inside.

‘I don’t believe that emotions will disappear in the future. we don’t stop to love, we don’t stop to hate. and we will use all these new technologies in a healthy and meaningful way. the future will be bright and positive,’ concludes kai langer.

(top: adrian van hooydonk, senior vice president of BMW Group design, marking the frameless windows
domagoj dukec, head of BMW design, presenting the iX from sketches to production model

stay tuned to designboom as we step into the interior design in the second episode of ‘rethinking design’.

product info:

brand: BMW

model: iX

production: 2021