EVs get designer touches

It’s no secret that automotive shows are great places to get captive audiences when it comes to showcasing production models and futuristic concept ideas, be it design or technologies or both. The IAA Mobility 2023 event in Munich, Germany, served as the perfect platform for domestic and international brands to highlight their respective products and ideas.

From the design point of view, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and BYD had key messages to share and impressive ones too. Here we take a look at the key presentations and try to understand the future direction these brands are taking. As always, some of the concepts may or may not head for production in their entirety, but some of the design cues may be carried forward depending on how the final product is conceived and executed.

Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA Class
The Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA Class unveiled offers a close-to-production insight into the upcoming family of vehicles that stands at the gateway to the brand. It has been designed on the forthcoming Modular Architecture (MMA) platform.

The concept CLA Class has been made using sustainable materials in its structure and interior ranging from almost CO2-free steel and CO2-reduced aluminium besides sustainably produced and processed leather upholstery as well as trim made from paper. With the 800v electric-drive system, Mercedes is aiming for a range of more than 750 kilometres in the WLTP cycle. Mercedes says the electric platform has been engineered for a family of four vehicles covering a range of body styles. On the styling elements that will be carried over to the production car, Mercedes Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener said: “Pretty much everything.” Wagener also highlighted the new grille as being a key element. He said: “It is a new interpretation of the Mercedes grille, but we still use the grille. Our grille is iconic.”

BMW Vision Neue Klasse
The retro-future themed Vision Neue Klasse concept pays homage to the iconic BMW 2002 while adding more technology and a more efficient battery-electric drivetrain. The original Neue Klasse saved BMW's fortunes in the 1960s and it also evolved into the iconic 2002 model.

The revival of the Neue Klasse name also signifies the electrified future path for the Munich-based carmaker as it marks the beginning of a similarly transformative period for the carmaker. While the concept was an EV, it also previews a future 3-series sedan, the bedrock model’s next generation that is expected to debut in 2025.

Interestingly, a new design language for the entire BMW brand is also expected to be inspired by the Vision Neue Klasse. Key highlights include the forward-slanted nose and exaggerated fake kidney-shaped grilles, and its homage to the 2002 is unmistakable.  The car sports narrow pillars and large windows. A single crease line on the doors draws a connection to the front and rear wheels.

Audi Q6 e-tron prototype
The focus of Audi at IAA Mobility was the reworked cockpit and interior of the Q6 e-tron prototype that gets an all-new display and operating concept. The Q6 e-tronis the brand's first all-electric model based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture.

Head of Audi Design Marc Lichte said that focus was on user experience. “All-encompassing digitalisation, the central importance of sustainability and personal freedom, new definitions of time well spent and luxury – we unquestionably live in the most exciting times in the history of automotive design. So it is exactly the right moment for brave and creative minds to ask innovative questions and leave the well-trodden path to find intelligent answers elsewhere,” he says.

BYD Seal 
BYD, a well-known manufacturer of new energy vehicles, unveiled a sleek and sporty sedan for the D-segment called SEAL, built on the advanced e-Platform 3.0, using many of BYD’s latest technologies for safety, comfort and performance. The car’s design language is inspired by BYD’s Ocean X Design. The company said it’s the first vehicle to utilise BYD’s innovative CTB (Cell-to-Body) technology which integrates the body and the Blade Battery for superior levels of structural strength, offering torsional stiffness at sports car level.

Wolfgang Egger, BYD Design Director, said: “BYD’s design goal is to make a statement for the future, for new energy mobility to suit different needs.”