BMW introduced its new i4 car concept along with a new, flat roundel BMW logo design in an effort to make an impression in the battery-electric vehicle market. It is substantially the same as the previous logo, which had a quartered circle with alternate white and blue quadrants underneath the BMW name. However, instead of being set against a black background as it was previously, the design is now transparent. The font appears to have altered as well, looking noticeably more vintage.
When a large firm modifies the look of its logo, it’s no little event, and even while the modification isn’t too radical, it’s still noteworthy.
The new BMW roundel appears to be based on a clean, simple general concept; the transparent areas make the brand stand out less against all exterior hues, and the retro text appears more sharply defined than it did on the previous BMW logo. Furthermore, it is totally flat, whereas the previous BMW symbol had a little dome-like form, which also helped it fit in better with the bodywork.
As simple as it is, it truly is a thing of beauty and a fantastic way to begin a new decade.
The fact that the new BMW roundel design is being used in the BMW i4 concept for the first time is also telling because it shows how highly the German carmaker regards the new model. The battery-electric sedan might be considered BMW’s first meaningful attempt at a serious electric vehicle (EV), given the i3 was probably little more than a strangely shaped experiment and the i8 is a pricy hybrid sports coupe.
The i4 will go head-to-head with the likes of the Tesla Model 3 Performance after production kicks off in Munich next year, with 530 all-electric horsepower and an 80-kWh battery pack yielding a range of some 373 miles on the WLTP cycle – or about 270 miles in the US EPA’s more pessimistic testing.
