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2019 BMW 8 series Coupe

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 So let’s compare the production model to the cool concept from last year…

I guess they can claim the concept “inspired” the actual car, but that’s about it.
All proportions seem different. It is not nearly as aggressive or modern looking.
The chrome on the grille is now much thicker. It looks like a thick lipstick. (Or if the designer only had a thick pen to draw the grille with) Very heavy handed and not nearly as refined as the concept.

The deep crease on the side of the concept seem to be missing too.
And of course, the headlights are now the regular/standard BMW fare.

Same thing in the back.
Similar, but different enough to be disappointing.

Beauty is in the details. The production model did a great job at getting rid of all the details that made the concept interesting.
It is now a more generic and vulgar version of the concept.
And look how the “mandatory reflective lights” are not even integrated in the main units. (They just look like an afterthought ad-on from Pep Boys.)

Again, this is basically a new 6 series coupe. It is even more obvious in the production version.
I just wonder how much more BMW will charge for calling it an “8”…

Conversation 6 comments

  3. I guess those mandatory reflective bits have a certain maximum height, that nowadays bulbous rear ends don't allow to integrate into the main rear lights, as most cars have them separate somewhere in the bumper, but usually lower down, in the darkerned part, or as vertical strips in more sporty looking packages. But BMW seems able to put them in many cars in this ugly spot (current 6 series, 5 series without the sport bumpers), following the recent design trend of "more of everything (grilles/LEDs/creases) is better" that seems especially popular with German premium brands I guess it will fit with a fake carbon fake diffusor surrounding fake exhaust tipps 😉

  4. Wow, you love to use the word vulgar. I admit that the production version is disappointing, compared to the concept, but I don't think it qualifies as "vulgar".

  5. No, they cannot claim that the "concept inspired the production model, because the so-called 8-Series concept shown last May, was simply a glammed up version of the production 8-Series design, which was developed as next 6-Series coupe originally and renamed by management to justify higher pricepoint.

    I am tired of the fact that other car enthusiasts always fail notice and feign ignorance towards this phenomenon, where carmakers trot out 11th hour "concepts" to preview upcoming models and then all of you lazily assume, that they are still designing the production model and will make changes after the "concept car" has been shown. To "keep true to the concept" or "water/dumb it down". That is too simplistic to apply in every case.

    The engineering requirements for such a vehicle demand they make final commitments to design work, at two-and-a-half years before production starts as Job 1.

    Unless BMW had shown that 8-Series Concept to you 3 years ago in 2015, it certainly did not influence anything production wise. Simply put, there was NOT enough time to "transform" the "concept" to "production".

    BMW does NOT work like that, except where the i8 was the Vision Efficient Dynamics concept in 2009 and then took 5 more years before full launch in 2014 as i8. That is a real case of "concept car to production", just like Lexus LF-LC/LC500, Camaro '06 Concept/2009 prod. Camaro, and MB SLR Mclaren, which took years execute.

    Only Tesla managed to show a concept Model 3 in summer 2016 and then struggled to move from final design freeze in Q3 2016 to SOP in late 2017 w/serious issues. Most OEMs do not chance that little development time, especially German automakers.

    Stop miscontruing the aspect of "concept to production" and taking a one-size-fits-all approach. It's lazy and will only get your hopes up, to be letdown in the end.

    Not every concept car is shown to gauge public opinion and then "get to work" on designing the production version.

    Often a beta version of a final design or frozen "alpha" design for an upcoming/future model is reached during development, when a carmaker's advanced design team is sometimes appointed to transform the car into a show vehicle, to preview the model to the public while testing and development wraps up. This happens 6-18 months before model introduction.

    If this isn't obvious to any of you by now, I can't help you really.

  6. I know I'm late to this, but does anybody else notice, & I'm ashamed to say this (I can't stand Mussolini & his horrible crazy tactics at FCA) anyways, BMW ripped the curved metal grille from the JEEP CHEROKEE…. blasphemy. Can't believe that it slipped past me before now.

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