MINI wins numerous iF 2016 design awards

The outstanding quality of design achieved by the BMW Group is setting new standards, as an array of design prizes have highlighted. In the iF design award 2016, for example – one of the highest accolades for excellence in design – BMW Group Design picked up 10 of the internationally coveted prizes.

All the winners from the BMW Group, with the exception of the MINI AR Glasses 2014 and the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R, won awards in the “Product” category. The latter, a concept study, took the honours in the “Professional Concept” discipline and the data glasses was bestowed with “gold”, the highest hallmark of quality.

The iF gold awards were presented on 26 February 2016 in a ceremony attended by over 1,500 guests as part of the iF design awards night at BMW Welt in Munich.

The new MINI Clubman was victorious on two fronts. Its assured, elegant and noticeably more mature character put forward a compelling case to the jurors of the iF design award, and the Festival Automobile International in Paris presented the MINI Clubman with the “Grand   Prix du Plus Bel Interieur de l'Année 2015” for the vehicle with the best interior of 2015. 

The MINI Clubman’s cabin engages in a skilful collage of understated elegance and creative extrovert appeal. At the heart of the interior is the ultra-wide instrument panel with cockpit facia frame, which almost appears to be floating. It is complemented by atmospheric lighting, high-quality decorative trim strips and intriguing hidden details revealed by the interior on second glance – such as the exclusively designed tartan pattern adorning various materials in the numerous cubbies and storage facilities. The coveted “Grand Prix” awarded by the Festival Automobile International was presented to Oliver Sieghart, Head of Interior Design MINI, in Paris in January.

The design of the MINI Convertible also attracted praise, convincing as it did with aspects such as the use of high-quality materials for the interior, enhanced comfort levels and an evolutionary design – an optional highlight of which is the unparalleled black fabric roof with titanium grey Union Jack design woven into it. The roof can be retracted in just 18 seconds, creating a combination of the driving fun for which MINI is renowned and an intense open-top motoring experience.

The MINI AR Glasses 2014 were presented with the highest seal of quality (“gold”). The MINI design team commissioned Designworks, a subsidiary of the BMW Group, with the design of the glasses, their colour concept and the digital user experience. A technical device has duly been turned into a lifestyle product that transfers the MINI design language to a pair of glasses. Intelligent connectivity with the MINI car allows these trailblazing glasses to project all relevant content, such as navigation instructions, into the driver’s direct field of view.

BMW Group Design came up trumps seven times in the renowned GOOD DESIGNTM Award, the world’s oldest design prize. For over 65 years now, its international jury has been recognising exceptionally innovative, visionary products, concepts and ideas dreamed up by designers and manufacturers which go beyond the horizons of everyday product design. The BMW Group winners were all presented with awards in the “Transportation” discipline, and the MINI AR Glasses 2014 also enjoyed more success here.

The list of winners includes the MINI 5-door. A car built for individualists, it whisks the legendary forms of the classic Mini from 1959 into the present day and takes to the stage with greater presence and maturity than ever. With its enhanced design qualities and even more detailed elaboration of the car’s iconic design cues, the 5-door unites the heritage of MINI with forward-looking design and innovation to flawless effect.

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