ROME – Once upon a time there was the car, the one conceived solely and exclusively based on its function as a means of travel. Today there is the car, the one that has evolved over the various eras and which, according to BMW, is increasingly destined to be an integral part of the life of those who own it from the moment of choice and purchase within a dealership.
The latter is no longer understood as a simple place intended for sale, but as a truly welcoming home. A space complete with furniture and furnishings that recall the daily life of a luxurious family home, studied in colours, materials and even perfumes in order to convey a sense, including olfactory, of warmth and continuity between the various environments, establishing in the make it a common thread with the models displayed inside.
Just enter one of the German company’s Retail.Next, such as the BMW Roma dealership on Via Salaria, to realize the change. That change that Samir Bantal, director of the AMO think tank within the international architecture studio OMA, explains as an evolution of the brand from the customer’s point of view starting precisely from the characterization of the dealerships.
These must in fact be created by going beyond traditional stereotypes, which are too cold and sterile in content to convey the new identity of the car in the era in which sustainability and digitalisation have led manufacturers to a new business model and where technology is at the centre. but the human figure remains fundamental and today in BMW showrooms finds its expression also in the figure of Product Geniuses.
“They have an in-depth knowledge of the product and the services associated with it and assist the customer, welcoming them like a guest into their home, in discovering the mobility solutions best suited to their needs before they interface with the sellers,” explains Salvatore Nanni , general manager of BMW Rome. To the Product Genius in practice, the task of guiding those who want to buy a car from the Monaco company is delegated along a journey made of emotions and knowledge to understand, as if talking to a friend, every feature of the models.
Enes Kucevic
This, keeping in mind that even in a car inspired by the past in forms such as the Neue Klasse, a prototype that anticipates a future sedan destined to pave the way for BMW’s next electric cars, the future is already here and within reach.
“Starting with the coloring Joyous bright of its bodywork which recalls the sun and energy in the shade of yellow, up to the on-board experience designed to make every journey engaging and never boring even when there is autonomous driving”, reiterates BMW’s head of design, Kai Langer.
To do this, the Neue Klasse will be able to count on equipment worthy of a spaceship capable of taking the man-machine interface to a higher level, promoting maximum interaction with the outside world. It sounds like science fiction but for BMW it’s reality.