The second generation BMW X1 was recently launched in Australia on the beautiful Coffs Coast.
The X1 is an all-new car inside and out, with distinctly different styling compared to the previous generation.
The new X1 exterior was designed by one of our own – Sydney born and bred Calvin Luk.
The 30-year old is based at BMW’s Munich headquarters and made a special appearance at the Australian launch.
For each new car, BMW hosts an in-house competition that pits designer against designer. But as Calvin explained, despite the rivalry they’re still a close knit team and work collaboratively as they continue to refine their individual submissions to fit the brief for a particular car.
Needless to say, Calvin was thrilled when his design was selected and is particularly proud of the trademark kidney grills that anchor his design.
The new X1 is quite noticeable taller than it used to be, offering a higher driving position and plenty of extra room inside.
All X1 variants now come with an impressive list of standard equipment including rear view camera, driving assistant with lane-departure warning, forward collision warning, pedestrian warning and light city braking function.
Parking is also easier with park assist and front and rear distance control standard across the range.
The range starts with the entry-level diesel and petrol models, the sDrive 18d and sDrive 20i and steps up to the xDrive 20d and xDrive 25i.
The X1 is Calvin’s second project for BMW, having previously designed the 1 Series facelift.