[Jason]

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BMW i8 and i3 Garage Italia CrossFade Debut in Paris

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Munich. A collaboration between BMW Group Design and Garage Italia Customs has produced an innovative colour and material concept of two concept cars based on current BMW i models. The BMW i3 Garage Italia CrossFade and the BMW i8 Garage Italia CrossFade will be presented on 30 September 2016 at the start of the Mondial de l’Automobile 2016 in Paris. The premiere in the French capital will also serve as an outlook on edition models of the BMW i3 and the BMW i8. These models, which both feature an exterior design derived from the concept cars, will become available at the beginning of 2017.

The common feature of the two concept cars is a surface structure that emphasises the groundbreaking design and the innovative character of the models BMW i3 and BMW i8 in a fascinating way. The focus here is on a specific colour design that was developed on the basis of a common painting genre during the late 19th and early 20th century and which provides for a particularly expressive appearance. “Lapo Elkann is a pioneer in linking the disciplines of fashion, automobile and design. As a designer, I find this comprehensive approach particularly exciting,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design. “With BMW i, we have been successful in overcoming previous restrictions in automotive design through the use of entirely new materials. So the progressive expressiveness of the Garage Italia CrossFade Edition is perfectly in keeping with the BMW i3 and the BMW i8.”

In June 2016, Garage Italia Customs had already presented the BMW i8 Futurism Edition. This vehicle also featured a body surface concept that was inspired by the art of painting. The design of the BMW i8 Futurism Edition, which was created on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of BMW Italia, is based on the painting “Lampada ad Arco” by the futuristic artist Giacomo Balla. “Technological development and constant search for innovation are common key values to both Garage Italia Customs and BMW,” adds Lapo Elkann, Chairman and Founder of Garage Italia Customs. “BMW i automobiles provide our designers with ideal opportunities for an artistic exploration of the future of mobility. The CrossFade project was a great opportunity to create something beyond the traditional idea of car painting, generating amazing effects with a unique geometrical pattern.”

The design of the concept cars now being shown in Paris was inspired by optical colour mixing, a technique already used in Pointillism of the late 19th century. This painting technique involves the creation of motifs using small and evenly distributed dashes of colour. Because the neighbouring colours are not intermixed, but only blend together in the perception of the viewer, a particularly intensive radiance is created. The selective variation of size and spacing of the individual dashes permits the creation of both precise and harmonious colour gradients.

On the body surface of the BMW i8 Garage Italia CrossFade, the accurately defined colour changes between Protonic Blue metallic and Protonic Dark Silver metallic are used to intensively underscore the lines and surface contours. Moreover, the applied dashes of paint are triangular. Resulting from this geometrical shape, both the overall impression as well as the plug-in hybrid sports car’s dynamics already symbolised in the design are accentuated even further. The colour design was realised using a complex painting process in which the car finished in Protonic Blue metallic was initially covered with a stencil film. In this way, it was possible to create the desired geometrical pattern with exceptionally high precision when the second layer of paint in Protonic Dark Silver metallic was finally applied. Moreover, the interior follows the BMW i8 Garage Italia CrossFade’s exterior design with the smooth transition from the dark silver of the front end of the car to the pure blue of the rear end printed on Alcantara textile that now covers the central tunnel, the side panels and the headliner. The surface structure of the interior and the seats in Foglizzo leather, and Protonic Blue and perforated Alcantara is effectively accentuated by the contrasting colours.

In the case of the BMW i3 Garage Italia CrossFade, the colour transition on the front end and the side panels flows in a vertical direction. The amount of blue decreases as it rises upwards to merge with the black roof and bonnet. The smooth transition is created by a transparent foiling with imprinted circular dashes of colour that symbolise the driving pleasure offered by the electrically powered five door car and become larger with increasing height. The distinctive colour design is also to be found in the interior, where high-quality textile and Alcantara surfaces additionally emphasise the premium character of the car. Base colour in each case is Protonic Blue, which is now also optionally available for the BMW i3 and exclusively in conjunction with the 94 Ah high-voltage battery.

BMW i8 and i3 Garage Italia CrossFade - Live Photos

BMW i8 and i3 Garage Italia CrossFade

[skinrock]

The i3 steering wheel looks like something straight from AutoZone.

[PJinCA]

I like the "fade to blue" effect, however, the 80s dot theme isn't that appealing.

[Blindside_137]

I think it's awesome, I like it more on the interior though. Not as much on the exterior. And more so with the i8

[MalibuBimmer]

Tiresome bloviating bullshit. Someone gets paid by the word to churn out these excessive and ridiculous press releases. As an example, I present here's what they wrote and here's what they meant:

HERE'S WHAT THEY WROTE:

Munich. A collaboration between BMW Group Design and Garage Italia Customs has produced an innovative colour and material concept of two concept cars based on current BMW i models. The BMW i3 Garage Italia CrossFade and the BMW i8 Garage Italia CrossFade will be presented on 30 September 2016 at the start of the Mondial de l’Automobile 2016 in Paris. The premiere in the French capital will also serve as an outlook on edition models of the BMW i3 and the BMW i8. These models, which both feature an exterior design derived from the concept cars, will become available at the beginning of 2017.

The common feature of the two concept cars is a surface structure that emphasises the groundbreaking design and the innovative character of the models BMW i3 and BMW i8 in a fascinating way. The focus here is on a specific colour design that was developed on the basis of a common painting genre during the late 19th and early 20th century and which provides for a particularly expressive appearance. “Lapo Elkann is a pioneer in linking the disciplines of fashion, automobile and design. As a designer, I find this comprehensive approach particularly exciting,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design. “With BMW i, we have been successful in overcoming previous restrictions in automotive design through the use of entirely new materials. So the progressive expressiveness of the Garage Italia CrossFade Edition is perfectly in keeping with the BMW i3 and the BMW i8.”

HERE'S WHAT THEY MEANT:

Blue paint with a checkerboard pattern!

[MonacoMurphy]

stupid.

[F.EightyTwo]

It doesn't excite me.

[phoenixbmwlife]

I love the cross fade

[3s-a-charm]

Looks like a tacky wrap choice. I don't hate it though... prefer to see better battery options than effort spent on new paint.

[veylan]

Originally Posted by 3s-a-charm

Looks like a tacky wrap choice. I don't hate it though... prefer to see better battery options than effort spent on new paint.

Why can't I "appreciate" this more than once??

This was such a punt. What a waste of time. I own an I3 and would happily trade to a 3 series 200+ electric if it met the same level of support as a Tesla 3 (full disclosure, I reserved one).

At this point, the i division is basically reeling. They should be working to transfer nearly a decade of experience into existing architectures. Instead leadership has them changing directions twice in a few months from abandoning all electric to re-embracing it for a few years out.

And then hoping to cause some buzz, they wrap the two electrics with a pattern?

Come on.

This is the kind of ...reaction I expect from other brands.

[raysspl]

Ugh, OK?

[twm6]

liking the interior more and more

[SCOTT26]

I am not at Paris this year as I had to stay in Munich over some projects to be decided. But this makes 4 i8's being displayed in Hall 5 - The BMW Hall.
The Dark Silver,Protonic Red,Cross-Fade and the i8S Safety Car?

[outie]

Is this what's left for BMW?

[JasH]

Looks horrible on the i8, but works on the i3.

[bimmermaus650]

I dig it

[TankerJoe]

Exterior might look cool from afar, but only the 1% will be able to afford the paint repair. Meh, I'll stick with the 99% of the rest of us BMW drivers.

[3M TAPE]

Looks like a show car rather

[Yeru]

Not sure why BMW insists on pursuing the "frumpy" design language for the i3 instead of projecting the sexiness of its bigger i8 sibling.

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by skinrock

The i3 steering wheel looks like something straight from AutoZone.

[imserious]

Forgot to cover the windows and promote the local paper company.

[N & M]

I am all for edition cars but they need to have more than a paint job to distinguish them. Where are the engineering developments? More power? More range? More something other than a paint job.