BMW i Vision Circular

While most automakers have been previewing their upcoming fleet of electric vehicles with thinly veiled concepts, BMW is using the 2021 IAA auto show in Munich to look further ahead, presenting the i Vision Circular. This hatchback concept previews the compact BMW of 2040 and acts a demonstrator of BMW's goals for developing sustainable but luxurious vehicles.
At around 157 inches long, the four-seat concept is about 20 inches shorter than the 2-series Gran Coupe, BMW's smallest current offering in the United States. However, its electric powertrain and one-box, pod-style profile mean the i Vision Circular is spacious inside. The concept's main priority is in reducing the number of components overall and using recycled materials for the parts that remain. The concept wound up 100 percent recyclable, including the solid-state battery which itself is manufactured almost entirely from recycled material. BMW's sustainability philosophy is found at the car's core: it avoids bonded connections and composite materials for the vehicle's construction, instead opting for cords, press studs, and quick-release fasteners, making it easier to break down and re-recycle.
Most of the body is built from recycled aluminum with a light-gold anodized finish, but it morphs into a deep blue color at the heat-treated steel rear end. The kidney grille becomes a digital element with a snazzy graphic that attempts to emulate traditional BMW grilles. Instead of chrome trim around the window edges, a digital surface wraps up and into BMW's famed Hofmeister kink, and BMW says this could be used to display vehicle information to approaching passengers. The trim pieces along the bottom of the concept are recycled plastic with a marbled look and BMW says that the tires, which have a slight blue tint, are composed of sustainably cultivated natural rubber.