The BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, Seen by Nendo's Oki Sato | BMW
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo | BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo
Seen by Ooki Sato, Representative of Design Office nendo
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo
Different from a sedan or a touring model. While boasting outstanding practicality with its spacious interior and large luggage compartment, its design is as sporty and elegant as a coupe. This is the "BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo," a new option added to the BMW 3 Series, which was globally well-received and became a representative car of 2012. OPENERS focuses on this new 3 Series with Ooki Sato, a creator from nendo, who is gaining global attention as a product designer and architect. How will Ooki Sato view this car? How will he use it?
Text by SHIOMI SatoshiPhotographs by MOCHIZUKI Hirohiko & JAMANDFIX
New Meets New
Ooki Sato arrived at our meeting place. Tall and slender, he looked good in a simple outfit of a Theory white shirt, distressed jeans, and Camper sneakers.
His beloved dog, Kinako, who he spends as much time with as possible when he's in Japan due to frequent and long overseas business trips, stayed close by his feet.
Born in Toronto, Canada in 1977, he studied architecture at university before establishing the design office "nendo."
He is one of the busiest designers today, handling everything from graphics and furniture to product design for various companies.
How does the "BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo," a new addition to the long-established BMW 3 Series, appear to this up-and-coming designer with clients worldwide?—
Where Elegance Meets Utility
The BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, a new model distinct from sedans, coupes, and touring cars, has just been released in Japan and other countries worldwide.
Characterized by its coupe-like roofline and long wheelbase, it achieves a balance of sleek design and high utility. The powertrain utilizes three of the acclaimed 3 Series gasoline engines paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo
Seen by Ooki Sato, Representative of Design Office nendo
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo (2)
Ooki Sato's View on the BMW 3 Series GT Design
The "BMW 320i Gran Turismo Modern Line" in Kalahari Beige, placed in a spacious area. Mr. Sato first slowly walked around the car, remarking, "It has beautiful lines."
While touching the front air dam, he added, "But this area has a complex form, showing a playful touch."
The "Air Breather," which serves not only as a design accent but also for aerodynamic効果
The "Active Rear Spoiler," which lowers the height to achieve a beautiful coupe roofline
He meticulously checked the "Air Breather" at the front wheel arches and the protruding "Active Rear Spoiler," touching and examining each part as if confirming something.
Getting into the driver's seat, he looked at the wide monitor, the audio controls, and the paneling that extended not only across the dashboard but also onto the doors, commenting, "As I felt from the exterior, the interior also has a horizontal line as its design theme," pointing out a BMW characteristic.
Furthermore, regarding the controls, he quickly offered his impressions, such as, "The 'push' switches and 'rotary' switches all have the same tactile feel, which is very German."
He spent the most time examining the spacious luggage compartment, one of the features of the 3 Series Gran Turismo. At this point, his perspective seemed to blend that of a designer with that of a business owner.
"You know, design offices often move pieces around. It would be convenient to have this car at the company."
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo
Seen by Ooki Sato, Representative of Design Office nendo
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo (3)
Design Freedom
Actually, Mr. Sato felt that the rules and numerous constraints of architecture were a bit restrictive when he was studying it at university. The turning point came when he saw the international furniture fair "Salone del Mobile" after graduation. Designers from overseas were creating freely. He named his office "nendo" (clay) with the desire to design with free and flexible ideas, regardless of color, shape, or nationality.
Store designs, shoes, air fresheners, furniture production... The requests for nendo from companies are endless.
"Design is a means for objects and people to communicate. My role is to inject ideas and perspectives that don't come from their respective specialized industries. There are many cases where materials and colors that were technically unusable in the past can now be used, and sometimes colors that failed completely when first tried remain taboo. Like the color green for mobile phones. But is it really that bad?"
Mr. Sato feels a newness and flexibility in the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, similar to BMW itself.
"I believe it's a design born from a flexible approach, discarding fixed notions like 'sedans are for carrying people, coupes are for looking cool, and wagons are for luggage,' and asking, 'Couldn't there be a coupe that can carry a lot of luggage?' or 'Isn't a more beautiful wagon than a coupe possible?'"
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo
Seen by Ooki Sato, Representative of Design Office nendo
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo (4)
Unwavering Essence and a Spirit of Challenge
In the driver's seat of the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, Mr. Sato, after confirming the feel of the steering wheel and seats, began to speak slowly, choosing his words carefully, with a look of understanding.
"I've been helping with the design of Camper's shoes and stores, and initially, I found Camper a difficult brand to define, as it's neither a sports sneaker nor a formal leather shoe."
"However, after hearing their explanation, 'You'll understand when you try them on. It's a brand for enjoying walking,' my imagination began to expand."
Camper New York store by Ooki Sato
"I feel the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo has something in common with Camper. While it doesn't fit into traditional categories like sports cars or sedans, they must have the confidence that once you drive it, you'll undeniably recognize it as a BMW."
Mr. Sato, whose roof box design is about to be released by a domestic manufacturer, is also considering the possibilities of car design?
"I'd like to design a car itself someday. I've worked on various fields like graphics, industrial products, and furniture, but car design combines all these elements, so I believe my past experiences would be applicable," he says enthusiastically.
I want to see a BMW designed by nendo!
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo Special SiteTo
SATO Oki
Born in Canada in 1977. After completing his master's degree at Waseda University in 2002, he established nendo Inc. He is active in a wide range of fields including product design, interior design, graphics, and architecture, and was selected as one of "100 Japanese People the World Respects" by Newsweek magazine in 2006. In 2008, his "cabbage chair" became part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. http://www.nendo.jp
BMW 320i Gran Turismo
Body Dimensions | Length 4,825 x Width 1,830 x Height 1,510 mm
Wheelbase | 2,920 mm
Tread Front/Rear | 1,540 / 1,585 mm
Minimum Ground Clearance | 165 mm
Minimum Turning Radius | 5.7 meters
Trunk Capacity | 520 - 1,600 liters
Weight | 1,660 kg
Engine | 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder DOHC BMW TwinPower Turbo gasoline engine
Maximum Output | 135 kW (184 ps) / 5,000 rpm
Maximum Torque | 270 Nm / 1,250-4,500 rpm
Transmission | Electronically controlled 8-speed AT
Drivetrain | FR
Tires | 225/55R17 (225/50R18 for the Modern Line shown in photo)
0-100 km/h Acceleration | 7.9 seconds
Maximum Speed | 230 km/h
Fuel Efficiency (JC08 mode) | 15.0 km/ℓ
Price | 4.94 million yen; Sport/Modern/Luxury 5.14 million yen; M Sport (scheduled for Japanese launch in Autumn 2013) 5.43 million yen