Press information 31 March 2009

The future of beauty: concept cars at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Thee world premieres at Lake Como +++ BMW sends GINA Light as guest of honour on the Concorso’s 80th anniversary.

Munich/Milan. This year the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este once again invites contemporary concept cars and prototypes to compete alongside the historic models traditionally on display. To qualify for entry, concepts have to be driveable and no older than three years. As announced at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este’s second press conference in Milan, eight such vehicles will attend the event at the end of April in a bid to be crowned the most beautiful contemporary concept car. The winner will be chosen not by the jury but by the public. In this, the Concorso perpetuates a tradition going back 80 years: as long ago as 1929 the public was already ranking the showcased models according to their looks. For ten years now, this beauty contest of worldwide acclaim has been held under the patronage of the BMW Group. Three world premieres and a further five sensational concept cars form the worthy framework for this anniversary Concorso.

GINA Light as guest of honour BMW will be dispatching the sensational GINA Light study to Lake Como – hors concours – as a birthday guest. Ordinarily the GINA Light can only be viewed by visitors to the BMW Museum at the end of the special “BMW Concept Cars” exhibition. At the Concorso the design study will make its debut outdoor appearance and provide a first opportunity to view a number of concrete manifestations of the multifaceted GINA philosophy. With the GINA Light, the limits of contemporary materials and production processes are pushed far into the future. For all the innovations embodied in this vehicle, the focus is on the adaptability of forms and functions that are geared to the individual and situational needs of the driver as well as the relevant driving conditions.

That is the reason why both the exterior and the interior feature numerous components that are strikingly different from conventional solutions not just visually but also in terms of their basic conceptual attributes. For example, the GINA Light visionary model has a practically seamless outer skin made of an elastic textile material that is stretched over a moveable frame. Functions are only activated as and when required. Thanks to this utterly novel interpretation of familiar functionality and structure, the driver enjoys a very different experience behind the wheel of the car. The reduction to the essentials and adaptation to the needs of the driver enhance the emotional impact of the vehicle, fulfilling a key goal of the GINA philosophy.

SOURCE: BMW