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BMW’s Z10 ED green supercar needs to deliver an “exciting dynamic experience” as well as showcasing environmentally friendly technology, says the firm’s design director.

The Z10 ED, revealed by Autocar in January, is being turned into an £80k Audi R8 rival, and insiders suggest that the front-engined, rear-drive machine could make production.

It features BMW’s Efficient Dynamics, including stop-start and active aerodynamics, and will eventually adopt systems such as a heat collecto...Read the full article

Autocar:

Van Hooydonk also warned that the current economic climate may make it more difficult to launch the ED with a supercar’s body styling. “I’m not sure it’s number one to carve out some territory in the supercar market,” he said.

From that rendering he's clearly right - it looks way off a supercar. Assuming the proportions of the sketch to the real thing differ in the usual way as designers tend to draw everything with rooflines, ground clearance etc exaggerated at about 50% of normal height then this is miles away from a ground hugging sports car, this looks more like it could turn into almost a cross coupe, or at least something more saloon car sized. It has the bloated look the 6 suffers from, but even more so. Maybe this is the supercar for old people in the same way the GT concept was the 5 series saloon for old people. Either way with that styling it's better left as a concept to showcase tech, it would get murdered by the R8 on looks alone. People wont buy ugly sports cars.

Whatever happened to the CS concept - a good looking car and a opportunity wasted to radicalize the 7 series. instead we got the poor selling lump. I remember seeing reported it was canned, but then other websites showing spyshots of it on test?

"Adrian, the profits are down 90% - knock-up a concept car over lunch to take the analysts' minds off the results"

Bang on! sierra.....it was the same trick JLR used to divert attention......i.e. there was that pumping out of JLR concepts a few months back.....watch the hand, watch the hand, watch the hand.....!!!!!

ThwartedEfforts:

 

Fantastic picture and a wonderful piece of imagination and quick thinking to post this so quickly. The similarity is uncanny! Oh dear, look at the dynasty Bangle has left to the next generation of BMW designers. The 7-series, 1-series, X6 and the PAS, you have to admit that BMW's sense of humour was pretty good, but this is now the icing on the cake. Maybe Ssangyong were onto something with the Rodius!

You know my thoughts....but I will say it, BMW has just lost the plot!

 Orangewheels - just checked your website. You can only get £7k off a Range Rover? That's not very good. My local dealer e-mailed me to say that the manufacturer is offering £13,500 off. You keeping the difference for your customers eh?

Hyundai, must you be so starkly humourless and combative in everything you post to this forum? Were you bullied at school?

Well I like BMW's thinking, but will it work like a supercar? Not sure about that. Being green is all very well but if you want it to perform you've something a little more complicated on your mind...

But BMW's thinking is going to pay off in the future. They're not the first to think of a green supercar but BMW are going to be the one's who make a success out of it.

ThwartedEfforts:

Hyundai, must you be so starkly humourless and combative in everything you post to this forum? Were you bullied at school?

 

Humourless? I'm loving the fact that you don't know who Hurundi V Bakshi is!

Of course, your comment assumes that you have read every post I've ever made which of course you haven't.Hey, if a chap wants to advertise in here then he's fair game. Besides, the question is fair enough.

Go and play in the traffic.

ThwartedEfforts:

Hyundai, must you be so starkly humourless and combative in everything you post to this forum?

No, H definitely has a sense of humour.

Seriously.