On Friday, June 3, BMW opened its first ever “BMW Future Lab” in Chicago. The small luxury popup was designed to showcase the brand’s future of electrification and sustainability. There were several different stations to check out and some cars to see on display, at the Chicago Yacht Club. As part of the VIP list, we had the chance to take a tour of the Future Lab ahead of its reveal to the public, as well as see a presentation from Nicholas Gerstner, BMW of North America Product Manager.
BMW is pushing its electrification strategy hard. By 2030, the Bavarians want to have more than seven million electrified vehicles on the road, with two thirds of those being fully electric. It’s also all-in on sustainable materials and manufacturing, aiming to be the most environmentally automaker in the world.
The two cars on display were the BMW iX and i4. The former was a BMW iX xDrive50, the current top-of-the-line model and BMW’s best electric car. The BMW i4 M50 that as there was in San Remo Green, which is one of the hottest new BMW colors. There was also a BMW iX augmented reality experience, which allowed visitors to see how the iX’s kidney grille can repair itself from scratches. BMW also offers another unique experience: Digital Mosaic. Consumers will be asked to submit photos on-site and each photo will create a tile revealing a piece of the mosaic image. BMW will turn the mosaic into an NFT and one winner will – digitally – take that home
There were a few other small stations, such as one where you could customize your own sustainable succulent, with “crystal toppings,” to take home. These Future Labs will continue to popup in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis, and Kansas City. Though, multiple popup events will take place in Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit. If you’re in one of those cities and are interested in checking out BMW’s future electrified products, you might want to keep your eyes and ears peeled for when they pop up.
