TGIF: How the BMW Z4 is made
The National Association
of Manufacturers brings us an educational treat for a fun TGIF - an insider's look at manufacturing the BMW
Z4. The vehicle, built at Bimmer's plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, gets the soup-to-nuts treatment from
NAM with subject matter and descriptions accessible enough for non-engineers. Check it out to learn more about
BMW's assembly and finish techniques, as well as an opportunity to eat up the eye candy that is the BMW Z4.
[Source: The National Association of Manufacturers]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ferguson McSqueege 9:41PM (4/28/2006)
That must be some nasty-tasting eye candy, because the Z4 is hideous from every angle.
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Tom Design 11:52PM (4/28/2006)
This is cutting edge design, with a folded edge technique. It is not a jellybean, morphed look, but a striking, in your face attempt to stand out. The Honda S2000 is an example of a conservative, bland shell on an awesome little platform. BMW did not want this vanilla approach. A design can be rounded, like the Audi TT and successful, just not the S2000 look. The new Miata is suffering from bland morphed rounding, trying to hedge the gorgeous creative lines of the Solstice, but hanging onto traditional hints of its early Miata...doesn't work. The Z4, you either like it or hate it. The new MX-5 and the S2000, you have no strong opinions, they're just "nice." Nice doesn't create an image. So what I don't get, is in reading the article...why does it say "zoom zoom" at the end? Who the he@@ doesn't recognize this as Mazda's advertizing cry? It's a wonderful jingle and totally Mazda's. It kind of ruined the article for me, actually, totally against the concept or BMW...no bland Asian styling for them!
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Galley 8:50AM (4/29/2006)
Though I've never been on an actual plant tour, they have a pretty neat "virtual tour" where you watch the manufacturing process on movie screens on three sides.
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Joe Isuzu 12:03PM (4/29/2006)
The Z4 sure is 'eye candy'. Like super-SOUR eye candy! Who the hell could look at all those creases and swooshes and think that's art? It's like the engineers found a crumpled discarded artist's sketch and used that for the design. Terrible!
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K.T. Schumacher 11:00PM (5/17/2006)
If the Z4 is eye candy it sure is sweet. Those who think it's sour have obviously never driven one. But watch out those who think it's sour-you just might lose it on one of those tight turns!
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