The annual “GOOD DESIGN™” award rank as the most prestigious international accolade in the field of product design. This time round, the coveted prize was bestowed on no fewer than seven BMW Group Design products: the award-winning models were the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé, the BMW 3 Series Sedan, the BMW M6 Coupé, the BMW M5, as well the MINI Roadster as Husqvarna Nuda 900 R. A further accolade went to the versatile BMW Travel & Comfort System. An independent panel of judges made up of design experts and architects sifted through several thousand submissions to select 700 praiseworthy product designs and graphics from 38 countries.
The world’s oldest, internationally renowned design award was founded in Chicago in 1950 by architects Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Edgar Kaufmann Jr. It is presented by The Chicago Athenaeum and the European Centre for Architecture, Art Design and Urban Studies. For more than 60 years, this coveted award has recognized designers and manufacturers of innovative and visionary products, concepts and ideas that go beyond the bounds of ordinary product design. In addition to the criteria of functionality and aesthetics, ecological responsibility also plays a role.
The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé combines the aesthetics and dynamics of a classical BMW Coupé with luxurious appeal. Its unusually low-slung proportions for a four-door model exude a striking sportiness. The car’s low height and flat coupé roofline that flows into the rear render the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé an expression of pure BMW aesthetics. The interior design, meanwhile, with its harmonious visual link between front and rear seats, creates a perfect combination of elegance and dynamics. Tautly sweeping surfaces and decorative elements stacked on top of each other reflect the exclusive nature of the Gran Coupé.
As an icon of the compact sports sedan class, the BMW 3 Series Sedan represents BMW’s core values of sportiness and elegance. Its exterior design displays sharp lines that demarcate the taut surfaces within typical BMW proportions. In a systematic evolution of the front-end design of earlier models, the headlights and kidney grille of the latest BMW 3 Series Sedan form a continuous visual unit. The focus of the interior design process is on “layering”, i.e. the interplay of layers at various levels and made of different materials. This “stacking” approach allows optimal access to all key functions.
The BMW M6 Coupé unites typical M athleticism with the sporty-elegant lines of a coupé body design. Within the premium segment of the executive class, the BMW M6 Coupé is compelling for its outstanding dynamics and hallmark M conceptual harmony coupled with high everyday utility. The intense M feeling combined with an alluring design aesthetic, a luxurious aura, seating for four and innovative equipment features define this powerful sports car with its exceptional performance attributes.
The BMW M5 clearly reveals its kinship with the BMW Sedans through its dynamic proportions. The authentic visualisation of technically driven requirements imbues the vehicle with a particularly emotional aesthetic that lends expression to its superior power while avoiding too radical a look. The design of the new BMW M5 displays a blend of technical innovation and a dynamic, athletic formal language.
The MINI Roadster – the first premium vehicle of its kind in the small car segment – is an elegant, sporty model for discerning drivers who value high-quality design, powerful engines and precision-tuned suspension. The hallmark MINI interpretation of a compact roadster unites purist athleticism with spontaneous enjoyment of top-down driving in the city. Padded stainless steel roll-over bars and the windscreen frame round off the elegant design while at the same time ensuring optimal safety for driver and passenger alike.
With its fresh looks, the Husqvarna Nuda 900 R conveys a sense of agility, sportiness and dynamics. The first motorcycle to bear the Husqvarna badge, it combines the engineering prowess of the BMW Group with elegant flair. With its minimalist design, each element defines the athletic exterior that injects the bike with its unique dynamic tension. This characteristic design language extends all the way to the aerodynamically styled tail.
The highly versatile BMW Travel & Comfort System is a modular attachment system that offers a wide range of uses to meet the individual requirements of passengers. It is based on a mount attached to the headrests of the front seats. According to need, this base carrier can be fitted with various attachments such as a clothes hanger, a folding table, a universal hook or BMW’s Apple iPad mount, which allows the iPad to be used for rear-seat entertainment.
For many years, BMW Group Design has ranked among the winners of this sought-after design award. In 2012 it was conferred on the BMW 6 Series Convertible, the BMW 6 Series Coupé, the BMW 1 Series M Coupé, the BMW ActiveE and the two motorcycle models BMW K 1600 GT/GTL and BMW G650 GS. In 2011 the BMW 5 Series Sedan, the MINI Countryman, the BMW S 1000 RR and the BMW Concept 6 design study received the prestigious prize.
