This is the Future of BMW: the Vision iNEXT

Seven years ago, BMW released its first electric car, dubbed the i3. One year later, BMW released its flagship electric car, the i8. Nowadays, the "i" line is expanding, with the i4, the possibility of the i6, and now, the iNEXT. Now, depending on what side of the spectrum you are on, you are either thrilled about a new electric BMW, or you are bummed. To be honest with you, the iNEXT has great potential to be great. But, I think that BMW was focusing on the wrong things when designing this car.

Allow me to explain. BMW says that its goal with the iNEXT is to make a vehicle that customers will enjoy being in. But not as a car, but as a space. Think about it this way: they are trying to make the iNEXT into a comfortable room that you would want in your house. And that's where the issues begin. BMW has focused far too much on making their latest CAR (emphasis on the fact that this is a car, not a living room or a spa) a living space. Simply stated, BMW is trying to make an apple an orange.

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I mean, is this really what the consumers want? I mean, I get that the picture above is a concept, but I must point out: where are the cup holders? How about charging ports or climate vents? There simply isn't any cup holders present, and there's no clearly visible charging ports or climate vents in sight. By creating a comfortable living space, BMW seems to have forgotten about the creature comforts we all have learned to love and appreciate.

I understand that most of these things would be added in the final product, but there are just some undeniable faults in the fundamental design of the iNEXT. Take the steering wheel for example: at the end of the day, this is going to be an SUV, not an F1 car. And are we not going to talk about the lack of a center console? For what is meant to be a great place to spend time, I just don't think it's somewhere I'd want to be.

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Despite all of this, there is some good. For example, the overall exterior styling is modern but not alien. The interior is surprisingly simple, but not plain like a Tesla is. You have two big screens, and plenty of wood finishing peppered all over the dash. In all, the quality of the iNEXT is really good, with no visible downfalls. And of course, at the end of the day, this will be a BMW, so it ought to drive better than your typical SUV.

Overall, I have to say that this car had great potential, but I just don't see it capturing what BMW thought it would. But if one things for sure, BMW is definitely going to be keeping this type of styling and philosophy when designing their new "i" models.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!