The tale of two cities

eurostyle tour

eurostyle tour

A tale of

The i3 represents the green shoots of an era of truly sustainable mobility, but is it really a ‘game changer’?

The i3 is the first mass-produced carbonfibre and aluminum car and is made using wind and water-generated energy. An allelectric driving range of 128 to 160km can be supplemented with an optional range extender, providing extra peace of mind.

With an urban agility to help make city traffic more tolerable, it is an impressive, premium package that will move us closer to embracing electric mobility and zero emissions. It’s a game changer for sure, and we can buy into it at the end of 2014.

New technologies and services like these open up fresh perspectives and growth opportunities, but real transformation requires new ways of thinking and the determination to act. ConnectedDrive assistance systems and mobility services from BMW are a fine example. They have increased safety and comfort, through innovative partnerships with the likes of Puneet Mehta, the urbane CEO and Co-founder of MyCityWay. His outfit creates the ultimate local search-and-discovery platform via a single interface, which brings together all the

two cities

een to see if uncertainty and a troubled financial landscape could bring out innovative coping methods in the fields of fashion, culture and mobility, the Tour met with more than 50 vibrant and visionary entrepreneurs in the two cities. It revealed how innovation differs vastly from creativity, as innovation aims to transform rather than simply invent. If necessity is the mother of invention, there is a palpable hope for all of us in these talented young people’s determination to be architects of the future.

Lisbon-based Ana Mestre, the 35-year-old director of Corque Design, is an international authority on sustainable cork design. Her work as collaborative design researcher shapes product-design innovation through modular furniture systems and fashion accessories. ‘Considering its economic, social and environmental advantages, cork has become increasingly relevant in a worldwide sustainable-development movement. This natural material still amazes the scientific community, with its broad range of qualities.

Through our research we have come to realise that its design potential is endless,’ says Ana. Endless potential and sustainable materials make for a heady cocktail, and coping with uncertainty encourages innovative design, marketing methods, production and consumption. Some of that uncertainty has been a driver of fresh thinking in mobility, too. This has never been more clearly illustrated than through the BMW Group’s first all-electric vehicle, the i3.

Unveiled in London, New York and Beijing simultaneously to a world experiencing dramatic changes in mobility, it is designed around an electric powertrain for the needs of 21st century cities.

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BMW international polo

photos: supplied

Charles Dickens wrote of social upheaval in 18th century Paris and London 240 years ago but its reference to epoch-making times still rings true today. In its own ‘Tale of Two Cities’, the BMW South Africa EuroStyle Tour took place in Lisbon and London as the epicentres of decline and renewal. By Richard Webb

dimensions of urban mobility, keeping us current and connected. Their self-learning mobile interfaces guide people with realtime local news, weather, live-traffic camera feeds, parking information and trustworthy directions in 100 cities across the world.

His ‘personalised discovery engine’ helps unlock the city around us, showing trending places, nearby restaurants and bars, and the best way to get around. Can knowledgeseeking and collaboration hold the key to a new era of innovative design?

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the spring of hope…’

Opposite page: Sienna Miller at the BMW i3 World Premiere. This page, top: Trendy yet functional items in the Corque Design range.

Innovative lighting at the Great Northern Hotel and the Fontecruz Lisboa Hotel. The Team at Therefore Product Design (in the circle) and the Gravity Light that creates 30 minutes of free light, with the use of a weight. MyCityWay urban-mobility interface (bottom right).

BMW international polo

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eurostyle tour

eurostyle tour

London-based product design team Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves believe so.

They collaborate with startups and pioneering specialists under the ‘Therefore’ brand, and have created a revolutionary approach to storing energy and creating light. In a world where 1.5 billion people have no reliable access to the electricity grid, a new invention called the GravityLight creates 30 minutes of a free, clean, safe LED light.

A mere three seconds is all it takes to lift a weight attached to the device, which powers the LED as it descends. No batteries mean no running costs after the initial low-cost purchase; potentially as low as R60.

‘We are manufacturing 7 000 GravityLights for donation to villagers, encouraging feedback to influence a more efficient MK2 version,’ says Jim. Some lights will be tested in SA. LED lighting also features strongly in the ultimate statement of luxury mobility, as we joined Rolls-Royce Bespoke designer,

to influence a more efficient MK2 version,’ says Jim. Some lights will be tested in SA. LED lighting also features strongly in the ultimate statement of luxury mobility, as we joined Rolls-Royce Bespoke designer, Alex Innes (above), over a Wraith cocktail – named after the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce in history – at London’s 45 Park Lane Hotel. Alex is the keeper of cultural heritage for some of the finest motorcars in the world. ‘No two cars are the same, and when they’re commissioned for individuals, they are generally an accurate reflection of that person,’ he revealed. He is inspired by the story of excellence of founding member Sir Henry Royce, who said, ‘You take the best that exists, and if it doesn’t exist you design it.’

London-based product design team Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves believe so.

They collaborate with startups and pioneering specialists under the ‘Therefore’ brand, and have created a revolutionary approach to storing energy and creating light. In a world where 1.5 billion people have no reliable access to the electricity grid, a new invention called the GravityLight creates 30 minutes of a free, clean, safe LED light.

A mere three seconds is all it takes to lift a weight attached to the device, which powers the LED as it descends. No batteries mean no running costs after the initial low-cost purchase; potentially as low as R60.

‘We are manufacturing 7 000 GravityLights for donation to villagers, encouraging feedback

on the tarmac: a real driver’s car Alex Innes (above), over a Wraith cocktail – named after the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce in history – at London’s 45 Park Lane Hotel. Alex is the keeper of cultural heritage for some of the finest motorcars in the world. ‘No two cars are the same, and when they’re commissioned for individuals, they are generally an accurate reflection of that person,’ he revealed. He is inspired by the story of excellence of founding member Sir Henry Royce, who said, ‘You take the best that exists, and if it doesn’t exist you design it.’

photos: supplied

‘You take the best that exists, and if it doesn’t exist you design it.’

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BMW international polo

BMW’s Efficient Dynamics programme spearheads efficiencies in BMW’s conventionally powered vehicles and the BMW 4-Series Coupé, freshly launched in Lisbon, is a perfect example of a real driver’s car. Drawing upon the brand’s long heritage in luxurious and performance-oriented four-seater, two-door coupés, the new mid-sized coupé is a new car in its own right. The range-topping 435i is powered by the magical TwinPower turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine, gifting the car with blisteringly quick acceleration from 0-100km/h in just 5.1 seconds. That’s only 0.3 seconds more than the outgoing 6-speed Manual BMW M3 Coupé!

During my hot laps in the 435i around Estoril racetrack near Lisbon, the heady 400Nm of torque spooled up at just 1 200rpm, empowering the Coupé with a tangible, emotive quality normally the preserve of cars twice the price. It held the racing line on the fast ex-Formula 1 racetrack as if equipped with an earth-magnet, always in the correct cog of the flawless eight-speed gearbox.

The test route sweeping westward from Lisbon Portela Airport to Estoril served up challenging surfaces, and demonstrated that the coupé’s refinement hasn’t been sacrificed to achieve a sporty drive. The 428i and 435i will be launched locally in November.

BMW international polo

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