MOTOR
BMW wins iF Award
The new year sees a brace of 5 Series models - the new BMW 5 Series
Sedan and the new BMW 5 Series Touring - presented with the coveted iF
award for outstanding product design. With this internationally
acclaimed prize, the International Forum Design once again pays tribute
to the characterful aesthetics of BMW Group Design. Following the 2011
Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany and the 2010 red dot
award, the iF label marks a further chapter in the success story of the
new BMW 5 Series range.
Since it was inaugurated in 1953, the iF Product Design Award has
been a trademark distinction bestowed on exceptional design. As an
internationally recognised “seal of approval”, the iF label honours
outstanding design achievements and as such provides a platform for
companies to submit their products for a professional assessment of
their design quality by an international panel of experts.
The 2011 award attracted a total of 2,756 products submitted by 1,121
participants from 43 countries, all vying for the prestigious prize. In
the Transportation Design category, the BMW 5 Series Sedan and BMW 5
Series Touring managed to sway the judges. This means that both models
have qualified for the contest to win the iF Gold Award, which selects
the 50 “best of the best”.
The design of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan skilfully translates the
car’s attributes into an authentic formal language. The sheer presence
and elegance of its design express the Sedan’s premium quality and
outstanding ride comfort, while its sporty driving characteristics are
reflected in dynamic bodywork lines and the overall evocation of a
distinctly athletic car. The superlative aesthetics of the new BMW 5
Series Sedan are further borne out by its perfectly harmonious
proportions and meticulously finished details.
The characteristic design features of the new BMW 5 Series Touring
are its highly individual proportions and surface design - an
individuality that creates a dynamic and powerful ambience. The long
bonnet, short overhangs, longest wheelbase in its segment, elongated
lines in side view and dynamically sloping roofline lend the new BMW 5
Series Touring an elegance that is unmatched among its rivals.
The unique quality of BMW Group Design has been consistently
recognised in recent years by the iF Product Design Award. In 2010 the
award went to the BMW F800R motorcycle, while in 2009 the BMW Group
scooped up no fewer than eight awards. 2008 saw the BMW 3 Series
Convertible and the BMW G650 xCountry motorcycle win over the judges,
and in 2007 the BMW 3 Series Coupe received the iF Gold Award as one of
the 50 best competition entrants. For the new BMW 5 Series Sedan this is
not the first award of the year: its outstanding design quality had
already convinced the jury of the internationally renowned red dot
awards as well as earning Germany’s top accolade, the 2011 Design Award
of the Federal Republic of Germany. |