[RBNetEngr]

I've been a BMW owner since 1988. Every BMW we have owned has looked great, and the style has endured until today. But this abomination is just plain FUGLY. I thought the new X7 was hideous, but this takes hideous to a completely different dimension!

As far as I'm concerned, if this is where BMW is taking styling (and their concept cars seem to indicate this is the direction), then I think there are plenty of other cars on the market that will get my money in the future. There is NO way that I could remain loyal to the BMW brand when they take styling in this ridiculous direction.

-rb

[doccyber]

Time to start a letter campaign to BMW. Make sure the bosses know how they are going to lose loyal customers. Me included.

[punky8d]

That grill reminds me of Nemesis from Resident Evil... Damn! WTF BMW. [IMG]https://media.entertainmentearth.com...5409a2falg.jpg[/IMG]

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by punky8d

Damn reminds me of Nemesis from Resident Evil... Damn! WTF BMW. [IMG]https://media.entertainmentearth.com...5409a2falg.jpg[/IMG]

LMAO!

[TodmordenLad]

I'm not going to intellectualise or philosophise about this new design. My emotional reaction to it is simple. I don't like it and am unlikely to learn to love it over time. I'm therefore very unlikely to buy one.
If the same design philosophy is applied to all the new cars in the range which I can afford, including the G30 LCI, I'll be skipping this new generation altogether - which would be a pity, having owned five BMW's in a row

[Ghostriderf80]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

There was one other render (...the one that looked like a Star Wars Tie Fighter), but the real life photos are close:

The hitler grill. LOL...

Seriously - Design team are you on crack? Hallucinogens or are you just losing grip with reality.

Mercedes did a big grill but it looks good. Aston did a big grill and looks good. Audi did a big grill and looks ok. You did a big grill and it looks like BMW is trying to imitate adolf's moustache. WHY?

Concept car looked good and on production it looks so bad.

If your goal is to give rise to aftermarket face lifts and a spring to action new companies I think you just managed to do this well. I give you this for new entrepreneurs.

Shame a new car and already everyone will be changing the grill and front bumper to look like the 340.

[J-RO]

Originally Posted by punky8d

Damn reminds me of Nemesis from Resident Evil... Damn! WTF BMW. [IMG]https://media.entertainmentearth.com...5409a2falg.jpg[/IMG]

Now that’s a picture that should be sent to the BMW executives that signed off on this design.

[FormulaMMM]

Originally Posted by solstice

We only know these are M3s since we know the look of each iteration individually. There is no unique shape of an M3 or design element that will clearly identify a new car as an M3. The quad exhaust some might say? The E30 doesn’t have it. The grille? Absolutely not, the E30’s doesn’t resemble any of the others. The E36 and the E30 are generally a huge change of shape and design elements. Likely larger than the overall F80 to G80 change will be. Just another sign that the design has become increasingly stale. It is time for a little shake up.

We see the designs differently. If during any M3 generation (E36 forward) the subsequent generation was debadged and put alongside every other contemporary performance car on the planet, I'm spotting the M3 100 out of 100 times.

Originally Posted by Kryptos

I think the above picture actually belies the point you're trying to make. 99.9% of the population looks at that image and shrugs as they just see a bunch of vanilla 3 Series cars. It's also a reminder that most of these models had very little competition in the segment. Today is different and for better or worse, BMW wants ordinary people to know an M3 from a 330i and for non-ordinary people, they feel they need to do something beyond great driving dynamics to compete and attract the next generation of buyers (i.e. not the people who bought and still pine for those M3s of yesteryear). However enthusiastic, the small population of current owners isn't a big enough market to support the M division over the next 15+ years. Most who focus on performance over aesthetics will stay and, while this certainly isn't true for everyone on this forum, if you do hate this design, there's a reasonable chance that it simply means you're not the target demo anymore.

No, you just accepted my point to make your point. The M3 has always been a (relatively) understated but recognizable automotive icon. You're saying that'll no longer cut it.

A friendly reminder, the M3 has never required aesthetic compromise for performance. We're talking about an M3. Where am I? Is this going to be the narrative, only the REAL performance purists will stick around for the G80?

But I do fully agree with your final point, and it's been real fellas… I'm probably due for a serving of Metamucil. Respect your opinions and from a broader appeal, sales/profit perspective, you may very well be right.

[B3averFan]

It's hard for some to think outside the box.

BMW sure is outside the box on this one. I see a quick revision soon after these "vehicles" hit dealer lots.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by Jockey

Which is still flawed logic demonstrated by numerous failures by corporations before.
BMW nor the M division is immune to it.

Valid point, Jockey: see for example here ("74 Failed Products That Made These Companies Regret Creating Them"). All those companies were also highly confident that their idea was great and/or that customers would adapt. However, the public decided differently and voted with its wallet: thumbs down.

If BMW goes ahead with this questionnable front end grille design fail on the G80 M3, it will have to face the sobering commercial consequences. Competing car brands will gladly welcome potential G80 M3 customers into their dealerships.

We can also see a positive side to this story: this front end grille débâcle will be a valuable lesson for BMW that you may tinker, but not mess, with iconic design features of a BMW car and that, in the end, the customers are your boss (not the other way around).

If heritage, reputation, customers and profits matter for BMW, it got to get its act together, now: get off the questionnable grille cloud, do a reality check and adapt.

Blown out of proportion: the front end grille, not the discussion in this thread.

[Covfefe]

Originally Posted by solstice

Personally I can’t fathom how anyone would prefer their G80 to look like this with the addition of minor M3 styling cues. Do you really prefer that and think this is an exciting design?



THIS is a bit of an unsightly mess, not the concept nor the leak.

“Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if it’s wrong.”

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Valid point, Jockey: see for example here ("74 Failed Products That Made These Companies Regret Creating Them"). All those companies were also highly confident that their idea was great and/or that customers would adapt. However, the public decided differently and voted with its wallet: thumbs down.

If BMW goes ahead with this questionnable front end grille design fail on the G80 M3, it will have to face the sobering commercial consequences. Competing car brands will gladly welcome potential G80 M3 customers into their dealerships.

We can also see a positive side to this story: this front end grille débâcle will be a valuable lesson for BMW that you may tinker, but not mess, with iconic design features of a BMW car and that, in the end, the customers are your boss (not the other way around).

If heritage, reputation, customers and profits matter for BMW, it got to get its act together, now: get off the questionnable grille cloud, do a reality check and adapt.

Blown out of proportion: the front end grille, not the discussion in this thread.

I get your point, but a good portion of those items were plagued with mechanical and safety issues; many others were just plain stupid......like Trump Steaks. Dreamcast was popular when I was growing up (...and I had one, so if that was a failure, so was everything else that went up against PlayStation at the time, including Nintendo 64, which I also had.), as was Clearly Canadian. Segways are still used today, albeit by mall cops/security/law enforcement departments and tourist companies, so I don't even know why that's on the list as a failure. What I did find surprising is that vehicles like the Pontiac Aztec didn't make the list, but the Ford Pinto did?!?!? Somebody needs to slap the author of that article. Kidding!

[IM2C]

The grille is distracting from the rest of the car. Not in a good way.

[ZZZZMD1991]

Say what you want about performance; the first Bangle 7-Series was a nicely performing luxurious car which was a sales disaster given the incoherent and distasteful design....

[solstice]

Originally Posted by ZZZZMD1991

Say what you want about performance; the first Bangle 7-Series was a nicely performing luxurious car which was a sales disaster given the incoherent and distasteful design....

You might want to fact check that.

[MSportDC]

[solstice]

Originally Posted by MSportDC

It’s nice to see that for the 4 and G8X they stopped the growth of the kidneys into the headlights. On some of the new cars like the 7 it looks a bit like the grille is alive and going to cover the headlights. None of that with the G80, the grille is back in it’s place.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by ZZZZMD1991

Say what you want about performance; the first Bangle 7-Series was a nicely performing luxurious car which was a sales disaster given the incoherent and distasteful design....

Pretty sure Bangle cars actually sold the most!

[solstice]

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

Pretty sure Bangle cars actually sold the most!

Yup, it did. It did however take a little time for the market to accept it. But once sales took off they REALLY did. There’s a lot of interesting stuff to read from and about Bangle and Hooydonk. Disheartening stuff for those here hoping that they can force a change of this direction for sure.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by calicolorado

BMW seems obsessed with breaking from past design elements and traditions instead of respecting and evolving in an incrementally handsome way. I say this as a practicing industrial designer with an automotive background and Transportation Design training from Art Center. I feel this is a case of the designer's ego trying to make its mark and create controversy regardless of the impact to an attractive design. This is non-conservative and "edgy" in the wrong way. [...] I'll withhold final judgement until I see it completely, but these grilles are so poorly done, it's hard to imagine the full picture will improve things. It certainly won't be sitting in my garage."

With oversized front end grilles as apparent new design language, BMW is hitting a sensitive nerve among its loyal fanbase. If research pointed out that such design feature would be trending in some markets, then consider making a special edition for those markets. But don't disregard the main 'bread & butter' market or be overly confident that the main market will adapt to the radical design change. Car enthusiasts may vent their discomfort on car forums. But most displeased customers won't post comments - they simply quietly go buy their next car elsewhere. And BMW may possibly wonder whether it's because of the economy.

[PAC]

Originally Posted by ///Mthusiast

Absolutely agree that BMW needs a shakeup in their exterior and interior design philosophy. But have you seen the general public's reaction to the concept 4? If you think we're being harsh here, wait till you see what the rest of the world thinks.

Couldn't disagree more. A shake up isn't making the cars look like utter crap with buck tooth grilles. Check out what Audi/VW do. Look at how the golf 8 looks, you know it's a golf but it's improved.

[Tacoma]

Originally Posted by ZZZZMD1991

Say what you want about performance; the first Bangle 7-Series was a nicely performing luxurious car which was a sales disaster given the incoherent and distasteful design....

The E65 had record sales but that didn't happened until after after the LCI facelift to rid of the Bangle butt. Same as this generation. If the G80 will have record sales, it won't be until after the LCI facelift to rid of the swollen kidney.