BMW 6 serie og Mini med designer pris

[BalleKnalle]

This year the BMW Group was the only manufacturer to be presented with the “Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany” for two of its products. Both the BMW 6 Series Coupe and Convertible as well as the MINI brand exhibition installation concept convinced the high-ranking international jury at the award ceremony for Germany’s most coveted design prize held in Frankfurt today. “Of course, we make our products first and foremost for our customers,” explains Chris Bangle, BMW Group Director of Design, on the occasion of the award ceremony. “Their positive feedback and our successful market development are proof that we are on the right track. The honouring of our design experts by such a high-ranking jury also shows us that we are providing valuable incentive to the world of design,” Bangle adds.

The Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany is the most significant official German prize for design and is donated each year by the German Design Council on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. During 2006, 868 products were nominated, of which 25 outstanding products in the fields of industrial design, product design as well as exhibition and communication design were awarded the most sought-after prize of all.

After having been awarded numerous international design prizes, the BMW 6 Series is now also winner of the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany. Available as a coupe since 2003, as a convertible since 2004 and also as the high-performance version M6 since 2005, it meets the high demands of customers searching for an uncompromisingly sporty vehicle, state-of-the-art technology and a luxury touring coupe or convertible all combined into one. As a large coupe it upholds a longstanding BMW tradition and is one of the most significant milestones of the future-orientated design of a new generation of BMW automobiles.

“Four Floors in Urban Nightlife” is the title of the unusual concept for which the MINI brand seized the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was under this motto that the brand was first seen at the Geneva Motor Show in 2003, impressing not only visitors to the show but also the design award jury.

“Both as an automobile and as a brand, MINI is an experience and a statement of a special kind,” explained Dr. Kay Segler, vice president of Brand Management MINI. “And we also wish to convey this to exhibition visitors. MINI is different, and this should be seen and experienced.”

The official German design award is presented by the Federal German Minister of Economics, who has commissioned the German Design Council, the centre of design expertise in Germany, with the organisation of the award, which has existed since 1969 [until 1986 under the name Federal Award for Good Design (Bundespreis Gute Form) and until 2000 under the name Federal Award for Product Design (Bundespreis Produktdesign)]. Companies and individuals cannot apply for the award themselves but are nominated by the ministries of economics and senators of each Bundesland or by the Federal German Minister of Economics respectively. However, the precondition for this is that the product has already won a national or international prize. A total of 25 products at the most can be bestowed with the award. “We have deliberately kept the number of awards to a minimum and will continue to do this in future,” explains Andrej Kupetz, General Manager of the German Design Council. “On a long-term basis, this is the only way to guarantee a standard of quality worthy of the award.”

The winning products can be viewed after the award ceremony in the Galleria of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre and will be exhibited at various venues throughout Germany next year.