Shape-changing concept surfaces

Fabric-covered car bodies fell out of favour prior to World War II. But BMW questions whether, in our straitened times of environmental concerns and sustainability, a return to fabric for the outer skin of a car is entirely out of the question.

The company has developed a new concept, the GINA Light Visionary model. GINA is an abbreviation for 'Geometry and Functions In "N" Adaptions'. It allows designers to explore flexible and conformable shapes for the body, while shedding weight from the base vehicle.

It's believed by BMW that the concept will be ground-breaking -- quite astonishing for a lightweight concept! -- and will encourage consumers and designers to think about the shapes and utility for the car of the future.

"Personal customer requirements will broaden the context of our products and change the core values that define our industry along the way," says Chris Bangle, Head of BMW Group Design.

The textile fabric outer skin of GINA is seamlessly stretched across a convertible frame (in both the traditional and non-traditional senses). A zip allows access to the engine bay and zips are used to access conventional service points within the engine compartment.

Inside GINA, the cabin is fitted with metal shapes and contouring inspire by Origami and formed through a production method involving laser cutting and folding to form the three-dimensional shapes. The instrument panel is neoprene-covered and is flexible.

Although GINA has not been developed for production, it was built with BMW's Rapid Manufacturing process in mind. This process was developed for the bonnet of the Z4 and employs a robot-guided pin to impress sculpture lines in the bonnet.

In styling terms, GINA draws from the Z4 -- itself a development of the X Coupe concept.

Video footage of Chris Bangle and GINA can be viewed here.

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