The BMW GINA changes the design rulebook concept which features clever use of materials and technology. The GINA acronym stands for 'Geometry In "N" Adaptions'. The 'N' stands for infinite. Quite logical really...
While at first glance the BMW GINA appears to be nothing more than a modified and stretched BMW Z4. As soon as the doors are opened it reveals its true nature.
Covering the lightweight spaceframe of the BMW GINA are not conventional metal bodypanels, but instead an elastic, rubber-like material is stretched across the structural members and wire frame to form an attractive design which follows BMW's flame surfacing styling philosophy.
This elastic material has given BMW's designers more options when designing various moving parts of the GINA concept. The doors for example have no shut line along their front edge as the material just moves with the door. At the rear the electro-hydraulic adjustable spoiler rises and lowers under the skin of the roadster to increase and decrease downforce, all without interupting the flowing lines of the vehicle. And at the front of the GINA concept the headlights hide behind the body when not in use, when turned on the skin opens up to reveal the headlight - in a manner eerily like a human eye.
The elastic material also plays a part in revealing the front-mounted engine, where a central slit divides the bonnet in two. This slit can be opened and closed. When open it looks disturbingly like a surgeons scalpel mark.
Inside the BMW GINA concept the material has been employed in both the dash and the seats. In the dash it is used to tilt the central gauges toward the driver when the engine is started. While in the seats it is used to raise the head restraints to follow the contours of the human body.
Further helping to keep the lines of the GINA concept clean and uncluttered are the taillights which are hidden under the skin of the roadster. Completley invisible when off, they shine through the material when needed.
While such extensive use of elastic material will be difficult to translate into a practical production vehicle. Its use for some elements of vehicle design could well become more common in future thanks to its lightweight and highly flexible design properties.
