Personal exploration · Transportation design · 2026

Imagining the next-gen BMW M2

Take the design language of the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse, itself rooted in the E30 M3, and ask what the next M2 could be. Exterior, interior and HMI screens, from the first pencil line to renders driven by my own sketches.

Type
Personal project, unofficial
Year
2026
Role
Transportation & product designer
Scope
Exterior · Interior · Steering wheel · Bucket seat · HMI screens
Tools
Hand sketches · Figma for the HMI · AI rendering from my sketches
The idea
01

Radical, brutal, raw power.

Lately I've been inspired by the brilliant work on the recent BMW M Concept Neue Klasse, designed under the direction of Oliver Heilmer and rooted in the E30 M3. I thought there was a way to bring that language into what the next M2 could be: take the legacy of the F87 and G87 generations and push it to a new level.

ExteriorMuscle, presence, and a face that came out eagle-like from the first sketch.
InteriorDriving experience first: an asymmetric dashboard turned towards the driver.
HMIThree screens, one hierarchy, designed as a product designer.
DNA plate: the concept's face next to the G87 and the F87The DNA

The DNA plate: the concept next to the G87 and the F87 it descends from.

The BMW M Concept Neue Klasse in red, the E30 M3 behind itInspiration · BMW M Concept Neue Klasse
A 1989 BMW M3 (E30), the heritage referenceHeritage · 1989 M3 (E30)
A 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, three-quarter frontMuscle-car influence

Left, the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse, shown by BMW with the E30 M3 it draws from, designed under Oliver Heilmer: the starting point of this exploration. Centre, the 1989 M3 (E30): the box flares and the four-eyed face the concept looks back to. Right, the 2011 Camaro: the pointed nose and the muscle, the cue for the stance. Photos: BMW, Car & Classic, CarBuzz.

The workflow
02

AI in the process, without losing the hand.

This was also the occasion to sharpen my design workflow. I brought AI into the process in a way that stays true to what I sketched and to my intentions: it was mostly used to render faster and to ideate faster, and that sharpens decisions sooner. Every render on this page starts from one of my own sketches.

Initial sketch, the eagle and the front01 · SketchThe hand firstLoose pencil sketches, the intention and the proportions.
Refined sketch, the front view02 · RefineDecideRefined sketches, the volumes and the details settled by hand.
Sketch driven AI render, the grille03 · Sketch × AI renderRenderAI renders the drawing faster, and the drawing stays the brief.
The exterior
03

The F87 and G87 legacy, taken further.

Strong muscle proportions. The Neue Klasse comes in almost surgically, and the kidney grille takes its cue from the E generations. Right from the initial sketch, the face came out eagle-like: I wanted a less square design than the G87, while keeping, capturing and evolving its presence.

Initial exterior sketches, rear, front and three-quarter views, with the eagleInitial sketches
Refined exterior sketches, four viewsRefined sketches
Final sketch, front and rear three-quarter viewsFinal sketch
Exterior, front and rear three-quarter rendersSketch × AI render
Front detail, the kidney grille and the headlight
Rear three-quarter render
Rear view render
Side view render

*Sketch × AI render: every render starts from my own final sketch, AI handled the rendering pass.

The interior
04

Driving experience first.

The centre of the dashboard is designed asymmetrically, turned towards the driver. In UX terms it was clear from the start: the main driving information sits behind the wheel; contextual, non-essential information for the driver and the passenger lives on the panoramic screen, taken directly from the Neue Klasse; the centre console carries the vehicle's secondary controls. The section of the panoramic screen above the steering wheel works like a head-up display.

The E30 M3 cockpit, its centre console angled towards the driverInspiration · E30 M3 cockpit
Initial interior sketch, the asymmetric dashboardInitial sketch

Left, the E30 M3 cockpit: the centre console already angled towards the driver, the reference for the asymmetry. Right, the first sketch of the dashboard. E30 photo: Downshift.

Refined dashboard sketchRefined sketch
Cockpit render, behind the wheelSketch × AI render
Interior render, driver side
Interior render, the centre console
The steering wheel

Many ideas, one that fits the car.

I had many ideas for the wheel, and I kept the safe option that best suited the style of the exterior, with the M1 and M2 shortcut buttons relocated.

Steering wheel, six initial ideasInitial sketches
Steering wheel, refined sketchesRefined sketches
The bucket seat

Sculpted to the car, unmistakably M.

The bucket seat gets a special treatment to fit the overall look and feel, while staying close to the M design identity.

Bucket seat, refined sketchesRefined sketches
Bucket seat renderSketch × AI render
The HMI
05

The screens, designed as a product designer.

Three surfaces, one hierarchy. Behind the wheel, the essentials only: speed, gear, torque and power, range, the drive mode and the DSC state, in a hexagonal frame that echoes the grille. Above it, the slice of the panoramic screen works as a head-up display: the next turn, the greeting, the time to arrival, the contextual alerts. To the right, the contextual layer for driver and passenger: destination and navigation, media, the car's status, climate. Designed in Figma, in the cabin's own language: deep, dark, lit in purple.

Behind the wheelSpeed, gear, torque, range, mode. The driving essentials, nothing else.
Above the wheelThe head-up slice: next turn, greeting, ETA, alerts.
PanoramicNavigation, media, car status and climate, for both seats.
HMI design in Figma: instrument cluster, panoramic screen and the head-up stripFigma · HMI design

Instrument cluster, panoramic display and the head-up strip above the wheel, designed in Figma.

The instrument cluster in situ, behind the steering wheelIn situ · Main cockpit
The control center in situ, the panoramic screen turned towards the driverIn situ · Control center

The screens in the cabin: the cluster framed by the wheel, the control center turned towards the driver.

Cinematic renders
06

The final sketch, out in the world.

Four cinematic AI renders built on the final sketch: raw concrete, wet ground, storm light. The design is the sketch's, the atmosphere is the render's.

Cinematic render, front three-quarter view in a brutalist concrete plazaCinematic AI render
Cinematic render, rear view
Cinematic render, front detail, the kidney grille and the headlight
Cinematic render, rear detail, the light bar and the diffuser

Raw power, drawn by hand. The next M2.

Personal exploration. Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, BMW.

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