BMW Simple concept car

[Rett Mikhal]

Not sure if this vehicle has been discussed here or not. I did a search and came up with nothing.

BMW Simple

This BMW concept car promises to take the strengths of both the enclosed automobile and the motorcycle, with none of the weaknesses. The car auto leans and adjusts to optimize running at all times, thanks in part to swinging back wheels. Two people can ride, in tandem.

Some have called it ugly. Some have called it a Tron rip-off. I, personally, think it's the most beautiful automobile ever created in the history of mankind.

I've long been an advocate against form over function. I know most engineers are, but I take it to the extreme. I believe nothing should be designed for aesthetics and the only thing that matters is function.

Paint is only necessary to protect ferrous metals and reduce glare.

90 degree corners should only be on the emo glasses of the industrial engineers and architects that want them so goddamn much.

Unnecessary material also means unnecessary machining operations can be removed. Big, bulky and ugly is preferable to small, contoured and fuckin' expensive.

So on, and so forth.

So this seems like the perfect car for me. Every single thing about it is made for function, with the only exception being those odd blue lines painted on the sides (though they may serve some hidden purpose).

Let me make one thing clear, though. Ugly and functional are not synonymous. If it looks good and runs well, fine, but if it looks bad and runs better, then all the power in the world to it.

An example of making it look bad and run terrible would be the infamous Air Hating Box of Ugly, the Nissan Cube. Aerodynamics? What's that?

So what are your opinions on this departure from the norm?

 

[kes7]

I think it's really cool. I'd love to have one as a toy, but it's not at all practical for what I use a car for, which is hauling kids around and getting groceries.

 

[Rett Mikhal]

Well, no one car does it all.

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

I want a utilitarian SUV-type of vehicle that is built from interchangable parts (e.g., if a single bolt size can conceivably work for multiple applications with a little tweaking, there'd be no reason to use two different bolt sizes). The vehicle should be designed to be as user-accessible as possible for shade tree repairs. Nothing should be buried under 5 other parts so that a 5 minute repair to replace a sensor requires 4 hours to access it.

One color only. Everything is bolted on and no plastic clips. Standard maintenance tasks should be possible to be done in an hour or less with basic hand tools and minimal training. Wiring should be accessible by opening a panel, not by ripping out interior panels and upholstry. Electrical wire gauge should be larger than the minimum requirements. The vehicle should be built with a high enough wheel base that you don't need to jack it up to work under it.

The same model will be made for at least a decade, with no cutesy upgrades to raise costs between years. Save development money where possible by using parts from other vehicles (that meet the quality standards). Simple, rugged, reliable, and easy to fix when it's broke. The ultimate triumph of function over form.

Like a 4runner, only more.

 

[Jetfire]

It reminds me of a jet without wings...if that makes sense...here maybe not. I think it is pretty freakin' sweet!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

It looks kind of scary. If it rides like a motorcycle, does it fall over like one? Or, to put it another way: Would it require any motorcyclist-like training to drive, or could any one of us drive one right now if it existed?

And just as importantly: How does this thing handle WINTER driving? From what I saw in that video, it probably wouldn't. Something that glides across the road like that would probably augur itself into a snowbank during the winter. Traction? Who needs it?

 

[JustAFriend]

And it's a chunky, less-sexy ripoff of the 25-year-old
1983 GM "Lean Machine":

http://www.maxmatic.com/ttw_leanmachine.htm

 

[Jetfire]

Dammit!!! I want one right NOW!!!

 

[FordSVT]

I want a utilitarian SUV-type of vehicle that is built from interchangable parts (e.g., if a single bolt size can conceivably work for multiple applications with a little tweaking, there'd be no reason to use two different bolt sizes). The vehicle should be designed to be as user-accessible as possible for shade tree repairs. Nothing should be buried under 5 other parts so that a 5 minute repair to replace a sensor requires 4 hours to access it.

One color only. Everything is bolted on and no plastic clips. Standard maintenance tasks should be possible to be done in an hour or less with basic hand tools and minimal training. Wiring should be accessible by opening a panel, not by ripping out interior panels and upholstry. Electrical wire gauge should be larger than the minimum requirements. The vehicle should be built with a high enough wheel base that you don't need to jack it up to work under it.

The same model will be made for at least a decade, with no cutesy upgrades to raise costs between years. Save development money where possible by using parts from other vehicles (that meet the quality standards). Simple, rugged, reliable, and easy to fix when it's broke. The ultimate triumph of function over form.

Like a 4runner, only more.

You want them to build a vehicles they can't make any money off of. What you described is a used Jeep Wrangler.

 

[Samurai8472]

It's like a escape pod ejected from a stealth bomber. Like some here I don't think we'll see that concept car but some of the ideas from it could be used on production models.

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

I want a utilitarian SUV-type of vehicle that is built from interchangable parts (e.g., if a single bolt size can conceivably work for multiple applications with a little tweaking, there'd be no reason to use two different bolt sizes). The vehicle should be designed to be as user-accessible as possible for shade tree repairs. Nothing should be buried under 5 other parts so that a 5 minute repair to replace a sensor requires 4 hours to access it.

One color only. Everything is bolted on and no plastic clips. Standard maintenance tasks should be possible to be done in an hour or less with basic hand tools and minimal training. Wiring should be accessible by opening a panel, not by ripping out interior panels and upholstry. Electrical wire gauge should be larger than the minimum requirements. The vehicle should be built with a high enough wheel base that you don't need to jack it up to work under it.

The same model will be made for at least a decade, with no cutesy upgrades to raise costs between years. Save development money where possible by using parts from other vehicles (that meet the quality standards). Simple, rugged, reliable, and easy to fix when it's broke. The ultimate triumph of function over form.

Like a 4runner, only more.

You want them to build a vehicles they can't make any money off of. What you described is a used Jeep Wrangler.

Exactly. We have non-profits for just about everything else, why not a non-profit vehicle manufacturer?

(I thought of something else - no integral computers/electronics. If you want a CD player, there will be a slot and you're welcome to plug it in. No computers to control the car, either - that should make it more rugged).

 

[FordSVT]

^You cannot have modern vehicle emissions controls and fuel economy without computers and fuel injection, it's impossible.

 

[sojourner]

And it's a chunky, less-sexy ripoff of the 25-year-old
1983 GM "Lean Machine":

http://www.maxmatic.com/ttw_leanmachine.htm

Yea, this. BMW has just come up with an uglier version of 25 year old technology. Then there is the BMW Clever concept from 2007 or so:
http://www.leftlanenews.com/bmws-clever-concept-completed.html

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I want a utilitarian SUV-type of vehicle that is built from interchangable parts (e.g., if a single bolt size can conceivably work for multiple applications with a little tweaking, there'd be no reason to use two different bolt sizes). The vehicle should be designed to be as user-accessible as possible for shade tree repairs. Nothing should be buried under 5 other parts so that a 5 minute repair to replace a sensor requires 4 hours to access it.

One color only. Everything is bolted on and no plastic clips. Standard maintenance tasks should be possible to be done in an hour or less with basic hand tools and minimal training. Wiring should be accessible by opening a panel, not by ripping out interior panels and upholstry. Electrical wire gauge should be larger than the minimum requirements. The vehicle should be built with a high enough wheel base that you don't need to jack it up to work under it.

The same model will be made for at least a decade, with no cutesy upgrades to raise costs between years. Save development money where possible by using parts from other vehicles (that meet the quality standards). Simple, rugged, reliable, and easy to fix when it's broke. The ultimate triumph of function over form.

Like a 4runner, only more.

You want them to build a vehicles they can't make any money off of. What you described is a used Jeep Wrangler.

Exactly. We have non-profits for just about everything else, why not a non-profit vehicle manufacturer?

(I thought of something else - no integral computers/electronics. If you want a CD player, there will be a slot and you're welcome to plug it in. No computers to control the car, either - that should make it more rugged).

But who, apart from experts, could drive a car like that? Not everyone is a master at this sort of thing. Hell, most people can't even repair their own vehicles. I know I can't. Would you have us all become our own personal mechanics? Who has that kind of time?

 

[SilentP]

I must admit, I'd be tempted to buy one if I had the money...and never needed to give people lifts etc.

 

[Avon]

given how bad the bmw scooter with a roof did, this seems unlikely to get productionified

 

[Mr. B]

It looks like it would be a fun toy if you lived in a rural area with winding roads... not very practical though.

 

[Rett Mikhal]

It looks kind of scary. If it rides like a motorcycle, does it fall over like one? Or, to put it another way: Would it require any motorcyclist-like training to drive, or could any one of us drive one right now if it existed?

And just as importantly: How does this thing handle WINTER driving? From what I saw in that video, it probably wouldn't. Something that glides across the road like that would probably augur itself into a snowbank during the winter. Traction? Who needs it?

Nay, everything is controlled by either the computer systems or the mechanical systems. All you have to do is point it in the direction you want and it figures out how to do it. I guess it shares more than a little with modern fighter planes.

Its winter handling could be poor, but it remains to be seen if BMW even took that into consideration. They design cars for the entire world, but this is just a prototype. My guess would be it handles average or poor as a consequence of design, since no effort was put into it because it wasn't needed. Yet...

And it's a chunky, less-sexy ripoff of the 25-year-old
1983 GM "Lean Machine":

http://www.maxmatic.com/ttw_leanmachine.htm

Fascinating machine, I wonder why nothing ever came of it?

I must admit, I'd be tempted to buy one if I had the money...and never needed to give people lifts etc.

Well, it can carry two people in tandem (like an F-14 - Talk to me, Goose). I'm sure they could make a SUV version where four people sit in the normal configuration. Course do you really need a backseat driver in your light cycle?

 

[SilentP]

^^ Didn't really see that, but then I only saw some of the pics. Just having the space to carry someone else increases it's practicality somewhat. Having biker friends rib you about having less carrying capacity than them would be a little annoying

 

[FordSVT]

Cooler.

Carver.