BMW i3 Concept update – chops trees for wood interior

BMW i3 Concept update – chops trees for wood interior

I apologize; I know how the headline must have sounded. It would be preposterous that BMW would destroy an entire forest in the name of sustainable mobility. So here’s the reality, the i3 concept that we saw at Frankfurt last year, now features a mixture of leather, wood, wool and other renewable raw materials.

Recently presented to coincide with the opening of the world’s first BMW i Store in Park Lane, London, the new i3 Concept features instruments made from eucalyptus wood sourced from sustainably managed European forests. The wood is treated using natural materials for the expected high-class finish.

BMW i3 Concept update – chops trees for wood interior

Leather in the interior is tanned naturally with an agent made from olive leaves. The olive leave extract also gives the leather a layer of protection against bleaching and wear. Leather joins forces with wool and used for sections of the instrument panel and door trim for that lounge-style ambience.

The Life module, which is a fancy name for its passenger cell, offers plenty of space. There’s no transmission tunnel and the full-width seat benches in front and rear allow occupants to play musical chairs and climb out easily. Especially when the parking spot allows only for one point of exit.

BMW i3 Concept update – chops trees for wood interior

The centre console has also been deleted from this small car. The cockpit features a freestanding steering column that carries the 6.5 inch instrument cluster, start/stop button and gearshift lever. Controls for the audio and climate are found on a display below the 8.8 inch central information display (CID).

Powering the car is the LifeDrive architecture that Paul has exhaustively written about it. New to this concept car are the ECO PRO mode and the ECO PRO+ mode that turns up frugal driving all the way to 11; the car operates at minimum power level.

The BMW i3 will go into production next year.

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Chris Ng

Chris Ng believes that all cars are made equal, and each one has its own unique story to tell. As such, the ex-advertising man is here doing what he truly loves, which is authoring the allegories and anecdotes of automobiles. Having served time in a motoring mag, he believes there's nothing more sublime than keeping the pedal floored and things burbling in top gear.

 

Comments

  • Ash Menon on Jun 21, 2012 at 4:21 pm

    Hah! Brilliant headline, Chris. It’s certainly what got me reading this article.

    Natural olive leaf extract tanning agent also provides protection. Mother Nature truly does think of everything.

    Just one note:
    “Powering the car is the LifeDrive architecture that Paul has exhaustively written about it.”
    The ‘it’ is somewhat unnecessary, no? Sorry, grammar nazi here :P

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  • If you drive this car in Malaysia, you will be baked liked in an oven.

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  • armandd on Jun 21, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    Using natural materials are good for the environment and provide that ‘human touch’. However, since these materials are bio-degradable, I wonder how long they will last.

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  • The headline got me….. But using wood, in Malaysian weather I would think after using some time it will ” change” shape

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  • Sgt Scoop on Jun 22, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    It it possible to get a Euro NCAP 5 star rating with a glass roof? Great design though. So futuristic. I hope these sell by the bucket load and it encourages other car manufacturers to push their designs a bit further.

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  • albag on Jun 22, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    yea right, saving the environment they said… go green they said…

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