Perhaps BMW’s most popular buzzword of the last few years is “circularity.” After all, BMW’s Neue Klasse future largely originated from a concept dubbed the i Vision Circular. More importantly, the brand touts the iX3 — the first of the Neue Klasse autos — as a shift in sustainability, largely citing its “circular design.” But what does the word really mean, and how does BMW’s design studio, Designworks, implement circularity? Behind closed doors, we learn more about how the brand interprets the concept shaping its newest vehicles.
Designworks and BMW Align on Circularity
“Bringing down our CO2 footprint is something that we still believe in doing,” says Adrian van Hooydonk. “The Neue Klasse is taking a big step in that direction.” But he acknowledges that there’s still work to do, and in order to achieve true circularity, the brand needs “new materials that our customers find attractive,” as he says. After all, BMW has always prioritized recycling components where possible. But it’s a generation-by-generation evolution; not something happening overnight. “We don’t want to convince them on a rational level. We want to convince them in an emotional way,” he continues. “If the CO2 footprint is smaller, then so much the better.” In a way, van Hooydonk sells circularity and sustainability as a side benefit, a happy coincidence almost, for customers rather than the priority BMW truly treats it as.
It’s clear BMW never wants circularity and sustainability to feel like a downgrade. Designworks seems to very much be on the same page. A spokesperson touts it as a “benefit mindset,” comparing it to an Impossible (plant-based) burger. “Our mindset around circularity is that it’s about more rather than less, and that’s our entire mindset that applies to innovation.” The Designworks spokesperson continues: “How we can focus on a 10x impact rather than a minor improvement?” To Designworks and BMW, it’s integral that the sustainable option is also always the elevated option.
Circularity Ties Into Performance, Too
Expected or not, circularity does tie in to performance and design in unique ways. There’s the obvious link between electrification and high horsepower, instant response, and a low center of gravity. But Designworks, being primarily on the design side of things, also ties circularity to performance via aesthetics. “What does performance mean when it’s not just about the space you’re in, but about you individually?” a spokesperson asked us. Thinking about performance as a sense of individuality expands the brand’s horizons, they think. “For the US, strength is really important here. But strength can be defined differently based on different regions,” they continue. “For us, we like this idea of strength meaning bulk. That means that there’s presence and stance, and we define that in the ability to act and lead. That has some direct design aesthetic computations that can be applied to the silhouette or stance.”
