2020 BMW (G11/G12) 7 Series LCI Facelift LEAKED

[wdeerfield]

grills so big a US front plate will cover them.

[GOLFFRR]

this actually looks pretty sharp

[Too__Hu///Mble]

That's more like it. The current was always "bubbly" and round to me. Sharp sporty lines.

Design alone will win back sales.

Blackened grills with m performance parts. Sheesh.


We have to "accept" the grill design. It's not bad. Open your mind to the new design language.

With the bold sportiness around the grill it makes it stand out and keeps what makes a BMW a "BMW", The Grill.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by Too__Hu///Mble

That's more like it. The current was always "bubbly" and round to me. Sharp sporty lines.

Design alone will win back sales.

Blackened grills with m performance parts. Sheesh.


We have to "accept" the grill design. It's not bad. Open your mind to the new design language.

With the bold sportiness around the grill it makes it stand out and keeps what makes a BMW a "BMW", The Grill.

True and doesn't even compare to the monstrous front grilles coming out of Lexus and certain Toyota's like the Avalon.

[guess2098]

Omg the license plate is actually blocking the grills now. Good job Bmw

[NewQ]

I don't know, I'm kind of on board with it. Pending actual live photos of course.

The configurator leaks look terrible (especially in white), but they always look terrible. Look at the current ones, and they do nothing to capture the understated elegance of the current model.

The more candid spy shots I've seen are more encouraging.

Specifically, I like the way the front end is more upright. It's a more imposing look that I miss from the F02 model. I like the image of a tall blunt end rolling slowly towards you as it pulls to a stop by the curb. It evokes an imperious and borderline Rolls-Royce feel, of someone important arriving in a world-crushing massive expensive luxury sedan. All peasants be gone! The man (or woman) in The 7 has arrived. Move that tiny 3 out of the way! Even a 5 must cower before the might of the flagship.

The current model looks a little slinkier, the way its front end dips down, and that lends it a sporty understated look, but it robs the car of the road presence it needs.

Also, take a look at that interior shot. Note the pattern on the arm rest at the left. I think we're getting some embellishments on the inside. After how Mercedes and even Bentley have done it, I'm glad BMW is giving us this option now.

[Coops90]

Jesus, that's awful

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

BMW, stop making the grilles bigger and bigger. Please. Please. Please.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by NewQ

I don't know, I'm kind of on board with it. Pending actual live photos of course.

The configurator leaks look terrible (especially in white), but they always look terrible. Look at the current ones, and they do nothing to capture the understated elegance of the current model.

The more candid spy shots I've seen are more encouraging.

Specifically, I like the way the front end is more upright. It's a more imposing look that I miss from the F02 model. I like the image of a tall blunt end rolling slowly towards you as it pulls to a stop by the curb. It evokes an imperious and borderline Rolls-Royce feel, of someone important arriving in a world-crushing massive expensive luxury sedan. All peasants be gone! The man (or woman) in The 7 has arrived. Move that tiny 3 out of the way! Even a 5 must cower before the might of the flagship.

The current model looks a little slinkier, the way its front end dips down, and that lends it a sporty understated look, but it robs the car of the road presence it needs.

Also, take a look at that interior shot. Note the pattern on the arm rest at the left. I think we're getting some embellishments on the inside. After how Mercedes and even Bentley have done it, I'm glad BMW is giving us this option now.

Excellent analysis, could not agree more.

[GERMAN M3]

Originally Posted by mose121

The giant kidney grill design trend is just killing me. Barf.

I completely agree! :

[emulajavi]

Originally Posted by guess2098

Omg the license plate is actually blocking the grills now. Good job Bmw

LOL

[530iDriver]

For perspective, this is truly one of the ugliest grilles in current production:

[COBodom]

The LCI looks really good. Looking forward to seeing it in person. Sucks BMW doesn't sell the short wheelbase 7 in the US. I guess the G30 is the SHW 7 series :-)

[stvding]

Interior ！？？？？

[JRobUSC]

Having seen the new X5 and X7, I like the new grill. It's imposing, and distinctive, and I'm glad to see BMW getting more aggressive in their styling. Besides, the grill is still smaller than this:

[JustChris]

I think it looks very nice in this colour and shot.

However is this true, the new grills are so big that there isn't proper room for the license player holder!? Surely not an oversight, you can see how the plate holder interrupts the chrome outline. Bizarre if true but surely just a prototype car.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by stvding

Interior ！？？？？

Same with some enhancements here and there. Most notable changes are the new digital gages and the addition of iDrive7.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by COBodom

The LCI looks really good. Looking forward to seeing it in person. Sucks BMW doesn't sell the short wheelbase 7 in the US. I guess the G30 is the SHW 7 series :-)

I read rumors somewhere that the short wheelbase G11 May comeback to the US next year...

[stvding]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Same with some enhancements here and there. Most notable changes are the new digital gages and the addition of iDrive7.

Any leak photo yet??

[baju]

Originally Posted by psuibmw

Remember the days when the grille was normal size

I think the last year the grille looked decent was in 2015.. :/

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by stvding

Any leak photo yet??

Look up the thread from the start...

[Law]

Originally Posted by KoenG

Now Adrian Van Hooydonck and his team are on drugs. What a monstrosity of a gril they are imposing on us and our children now! This is so NOT BMW at all!!

Why don't they fire the guy here and now!?

Also, it would have been ok, when they didn't pull the grill above the lights I guess, but apparently, they missed the obvious and they did. Adrian has to be a moron, I knew already back then but they still let him ruin the brand. Ouughhh...

Originally Posted by Alx007

I completely agree...

He is already responsible of the ugly E65 7-Series and he managed to do even worse...

This brand (which I was a fan of) has been screwing up for the past 15 years.

Originally Posted by montegoblue_e92

Wait...wasn't that Chris Bangle? Didn't that car help to coin the term Bangle Butt?

On another note, I like the E65 LCI much better than the original. BMW LCIs in general tend to be a win in my book...I feel like they're skimping out on me when they release brand new models, leaving all the good stuff for the refreshed car

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Most people seem to either forget or not realize this but the vaunted E39 5-Series was developed under Chris Bangle and so a plethora of other BMW models highly revered by purists before the flame surfaced models made their debut in the mid 2000's.

Originally Posted by Wills2

Some of the flamed surface models worked like the E86 Z4 coupe and 6 series but others like the 7 of that era did not, the 7 was always handsome until the E65 the F01 was a bit plain and the G11 was better if not that great a design, at least it's handsome in a large F30 kinda way, not sure the grilles add anything.

Bangle and van Hooydonk worked together for years on these designs, and to be fair to them they always look better in the flesh than in photos which to the owner is what counts.

As for the e39 it was already designed by the time Bangle was in charge he signed it off rather than overseeing its design as he did with the e60.

Originally Posted by IS3andME

May have been developed—-design frozen in place, under Chris Bangle, but Joji Nagashima is credited with the final design.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joji_Nagashima

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)

Bangle was Head of BMW Design Development since succeeding Claus Luthe in Oct. 1992.
BMW would rapidly expand, and soon acquire other brands and the Designworks Studio in subsequent years.

Joji Nagashima was just one of many designers who worked under Bangle's corporate tenure.
His designs include the E36/7 Z3 Roadster, the E39 5 Series, and the E90 3 Series.






Of course, final designs are the result of a team effort. The final design is a combination of the designer's original sketch, the direction set forth by the Head of Design, and inputs by other designers and engineering factors.

It's long been rumored that Bangle designed the E46.
This is partially correct. Bangle was the designer for the E46 sedan, Erik Goplen for the coupe and touring, and Ulf Weidhase for the E46 M3.
Of course, the latter two designers would borrow strongly from the E46 sedan in the designs of the coupe, touring, and M3, which is evident by Bangle's fingerprints on the patents.




It gets confusing but the roles of Bangle and Van Hooydonk often were complementary, having both served as the Head of Designworks studio in succession (Bangle 1996-2001, van Hooydonk 2001-2004) and Head of Design (Bangle 1992-2009, van Hooydonk 2009-2012).

Bangle's career at BMW saw him juggle the positions of Head of Design Development for BMW, Head of Designworks, and overall Head of Design until his sudden departure from BMW in Feb. 2009, after which van Hooydonk assumed the role of Head of Design until van Hooydonk himself, became VP of BMW Group/BMW Group Design Chief and the role of Head of Design for BMW would be filled by Karim Habib, and later Jozef Kabaň (current).

The infamous "Bangle Butt" of the E65/E66 was, in fact, designed by Adrian Van Hooydonk when he was still [technically] working under Bangle.
Chris Bangle, was, of course, on board with it, but the hand that sketched the shape was that of van Hooydonk.




After all this time, I never would've thought I'd be saying this, but the E65/E66 LCI front end looks like a breath of fresh air compared to the G11/G12 LCI.