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

[gds52]

Considering the grill size, aftermarket Black grill will be for $1000

[shawnsep]

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.

That's always the case with designs that push the boundaries. At the time, the E65 was a monstrosity in many peoples eyes and history is repeating itself again with the G11 LCI. Many people also had harsh opinions of the E60 at launch but the general consensus now is that it's aged very well and still looks contemporary.

After many years, the general population will either get used to or appreciate the original intent of the design.

On another note, it's disappointing that the US licence plate frame partially covers up the grille.

[elbmw]

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by elbmw

Love it.

Now it has the road presence to make it look less than a LWB 5-Series (Ironically, the Chinese market gets a long wheelbase version of the 5-Series G30 (G32?) Instead of the G11/12 7er.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by shawnsep

That's always the case with designs that push the boundaries. At the time, the E65 was a monstrosity in many peoples eyes and history is repeating itself again with the G11 LCI. Many people also had harsh opinions of the E60 at launch but the general consensus now is that it's aged very well and still looks contemporary.

After many years, the general population will either get used to or appreciate the original intent of the design.

On another note, it's disappointing that the US licence plate frame partially covers up the grille.

I never really warmed to the E65, not then and certainly not now. I like bits and pieces of the car, more so the interior, but in all and all I believe is a pretty forgettable 7er and overshadowed by the excellent E38 that preceded it.

BMW took a huge risk with the design direction of the E65 and paid off well with very strong sales during is production cycle. I believe it was the best selling 7er of all time.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by Law

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.

Excellent post. It deserves its very own sticky note!

[IS3andME]

Originally Posted by Law

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.

Thanks for the info. Now was it Hooydonk or Bangle that was responsible for the Z9? And I always wondered what was the reasoning for signing off on the Bangle Butt 7 and 6.

Also, those patents for some reason made me remember the Z8, when they showed it in coupe form back in the day.

[Short540]

Are they active shutters. How much does the engine need to breath. Damn

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

That's it BMW design elegance is officially dead. RIP.

Paul Bracq, the father of BMW's modern design language (E24 sharknose 6 series, E21 3 series etc...) must be so sad seeing this and the monstrous X7...

If you want to know more about him: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1339590

[Law]

Originally Posted by IS3andME

Thanks for the info. Now was it Hooydonk or Bangle that was responsible for the Z9? And I always wondered what was the reasoning for signing off on the Bangle Butt 7 and 6.

Also, those patents for some reason made me remember the Z8, when they showed it in coupe form back in the day.

Good question.
Sources have conflicting info that often credit either Bangle or van Hooydonk depending on context.

The design that became the 1999 Z9 Gran Turismo Concept was first sketched by van Hooydonk; Bangle was both Head of Design Development and the Head of Designworks during this time.



As I mentioned in my previous post, it's entirely possible that both van Hooydonk and Bangle influenced each other in a very complementary duo.
The E65/E66 7er and the E63/E64 6er were perhaps the most representative of this "meeting of the minds"; both of which have van Hooydonk's name on the patent, but occurred during Bangle's tenure as Head of Designworks and/or Head of Design.

Many of the signature elements during the so-called "Bangle era" of BMWs (such as the "Bangle Butt" raised bootlid, taillight shape of the E63/E65, bodyline crease along the side/silhouette, the way shapes were formed and 3-dimensional/"flame surfacing", and the early iDrive system) were present and first manifested through the Z9 GT Concept study.

Similar to how the Vision Future Luxury Concept will be the inspiration of the G11/G12 LCI, the Z9 GT Concept in 1999 was an indicator of what to expect of BMWs from the early-mid 2000s.










And yes, the Z07 Concept that would serve as the basis of the BMW Z8's design was quite a breathtaking thing, especially considering that the year was 1997.

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Excellent post. It deserves its very own sticky note!

Thanks, what is commonly known as the "Bangle era" of BMWs is often shrouded in controversy, myth, legend, misunderstanding, and even mystery.
It was definitely a very unique time in BMW design and everyone has their own specific definition of what is a "Bangle" BMW and what isn't (E46 is a common point of contention).
Nonetheless, perhaps one day I'll write a dedicated thread about the so-called "Bangle era", as it is definitely a time period in BMW history that will be worth studying and analyzing in the future.

[BigT]

Originally Posted by mose121

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

It's vulgarity in design. For all those tiny people of a certain world region who have to show others how important they are, via the kidney grill

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by Law

Good question.
Sources have conflicting info that often credit either Bangle or van Hooydonk depending on context.

The design that became the 1999 Z9 Gran Turismo Concept was first sketched by van Hooydonk; Bangle was both Head of Design Development and the Head of Designworks during this time.



As I mentioned in my previous post, it's entirely possible that both van Hooydonk and Bangle influenced each other in a very complementary duo.
The E65/E66 7er and the E63/E64 6er were perhaps the most representative of this "meeting of the minds"; both of which have van Hooydonk's name on the patent, but occurred during Bangle's tenure as Head of Designworks and/or Head of Design.

Many of the signature elements during the so-called "Bangle era" of BMWs (such as the "Bangle Butt" raised bootlid, taillight shape of the E63/E65, bodyline crease along the side/silhouette, the way shapes were formed and 3-dimensional/"flame surfacing", and the early iDrive system) were present and first manifested through the Z9 GT Concept study.

Similar to how the Vision Future Luxury Concept will be the inspiration of the G11/G12 LCI, the Z9 GT Concept in 1999 was an indicator of what to expect of BMWs from the early-mid 2000s.










And yes, the Z07 Concept that would serve as the basis of the BMW Z8's design was quite a breathtaking thing, especially considering that the year was 1997.

Thanks, what is commonly known as the "Bangle era" of BMWs is often shrouded in controversy, myth, legend, misunderstanding, and even mystery.
It was definitely a very unique time in BMW design and everyone has their own specific definition of what is a "Bangle" BMW and what isn't (E46 is a common point of contention).
Nonetheless, perhaps one day I'll write a dedicated thread about the so-called "Bangle era", as it is definitely a time period in BMW history that will be worth studying and analyzing in the future.

Thanks again!

The "Bangle butt" definitely made it over to the previous gen Mercedes S Class:

[Law]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Thanks again!

The "Bangle butt" definitely made it over to the previous gen Mercedes S Class:

Oh, it shook the automotive industry, alright.

Even in places where one would least expect

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by Law

Oh, it shook the automotive industry, alright.

Even in places where one would least expect

How could I forget those two?

[cracker123]

BMW worst example of a product release with these leaks. This slow trickle of leaks is a shame. Go ahead and release the LCI details.

[mcc3456]

Looks like the bastard offspring of a BMW and Rolls drunken tussle in the coat closet during the 2017 BMW Group X-mas Party.

[530iDriver]

Am I reading this correctly? The term for the patents is 14 years. The E90's design patent was filed at the end of 2004. Unless I am misinterpreting, the patent for the E90 just expired on November 30th, 2018?

[Vucko]

tomorrow

[Law]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Am I reading this correctly? The term for the patents is 14 years. The E90's design patent was filed at the end of 2004. Unless I am misinterpreting, the patent for the E90 just expired on November 30th, 2018?

US patent laws provided that design patents filed prior to May 13, 2015 are protected for a term of 14 years.
Design patents filed on or after May 13, 2015 are accorded a term of 15 years.

So, yes, the E90 design patent has expired.

15 years is a fairly common "standard" metric of determining what is "current/contemporary" and what is "old/obsolete/classic".
Obviously, designs predate actual production, but it's also interesting to note that BMW Group Classic assumes responsibility of a model's parts catalog and factory support after the 15 year mark (from the end of production).
The E36/7, E39, E53 were the most recent platforms completely "acquired" by BMW Classic. The E46 is due for complete transfer in 2021.

[m3rxn]

That grill looks HUGE!

[NewQ]

Originally Posted by mcc3456

Looks like the bastard offspring of a BMW and Rolls drunken tussle in the coat closet during the 2017 BMW Group X-mas Party.

I'm not terribly put off by that idea.

It's the 7. The flagship. The big dog. It needs to strike fear in to the hearts of people poorer than you. It should look imperious, dismissive, with a hint of aggressive scorn. The Phantom does that better than anything else, and BMW is lucky to have them in their pockets from which to draw inspiration.

[nekbreaker]

holy grills not a fan of those lol