With oil prices soaring at home and consumers scrambling to downsize theirdinosaur SUVs to smaller gas misers, it's hard to imagine that an ultra high end touring concept car is getting everyone so excited. But wait, the unveiling didn't take place in Detroit! I suppose it's fitting that the new BMW Concept CS, a super grand touring four-door “coupe” powered by a rumored 6.0-liter V12, had it's unveiling in China at the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show. Why over there and not in North America? Well, China's economy is booming and the upper class' thirst for premium cars is growing just as fast. In Beijing alone, over 1,000 new cars are registered every day. Furthermore, with the affluent comes the demand for premium luxury status symbols, evident from last year when BMW sold over 45,000 cars in China, of which 20-percent were the opulent 7-Series.
The Concept CS bridges the gap between the more formal 7 sedan and the sportier grand touring 6-Series, similar in concept to the Mercedes-Benz CLS that has now inspiredfollowers such as the upcoming Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide. Designed for drivers wanting a little bit  | | With the four-door coupe market swelling with concepts and rumors, hopefully BMW will join in with the CS. (Photo: BMW) |
more practicality out of their sports car, this four-door, four-seat coupe offers individual seating for each passenger. Rumored to share the same platform with the upcoming 7 series replacement, the Concept CS is designed for an “ambitious driver offering the passengers the same experience of sporting performance and luxurious pleasure”... or so says the official press release.
At first glance, the lines of the CS are consistent with BMW's current “love it” or “hate it” design language, with pronounced curves and contour lines along body panels first seen with the Z4 and current 7-Series, brought to life under the direction of chief designer Chris Bangle. According to BMW, the technique is called Flame Surfacing because it is "reminiscent of the forms | | This is BMW like we've never seen: two-tone leather, ceramics, metal... it's eye-catching and beautiful. (Photo: BMW) |
of energetic flames, such as those from the burning of gas under pressure". BMW says thatFlame Surfacing "gives body surfaces the freedom to turn in on themselves, lending a high degree of visual tension... a controlled tension whose energy pervades the entire visual image without in any way diminishing the vehicle's overall harmony." I call it forward thinking. So much so, that the likes of GM, Lexus, Toyota and even Hyundai are mirroring the design cues of BMW.
The BMW Concept CS is "a step forward from today's look", and as BMW commented, "We wanted to do a big, sporty car without making it appear heavy." Well, it might not appear to be heavy, but being that it's based on a 7-Series it will no doubt be rooted solidly to the pavement; we won't know for sure until BMW releases more details. They did give us dimensional measurements though, which add up to 200.8 inches in length, | | Dodge Charger, anyone? (Photo: BMW) |
77.9 inches in width, and 53.5 inches in height, showing off its muscular stance on staggered 21-inch alloys separated by a lengthy 123.9-inch wheelbase. Short overhangs on both ends coupled with a low stance add to the aggressive persona.
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