Deep Orange 7 vehicle, sponsored by BMW, unveiled at CU-ICAR
October 18, 2017
On Saturday, October 14th, students from CU-ICAR unveiled their newest Deep Orange concept vehicle, sponsored by BMW. Deep Orange 7 is a fully functional, drivable concept vehicle re-envisioned from MINI, one of BMW’s iconic brands. Students were tasked with creating a vehicle for 2025 and beyond for the premium market that not only fits into the MINI brand, but contains new and innovative features. The BMW Group mentored students during this project, but made sure to minimize their influence to create unbiased results.
“Working with the students as a mentor in the Deep Orange 7 project was a wonderful experience. They worked really hard and showed creativity and professionalism at the same time,” said Julian Weber, at that time head of Innovation Projects E-Mobility at BMW in Munich, Germany. “The resulting vehicle is a huge step forward and showcases very interesting solutions. My biggest question during the project was why a course like this wasn’t offered when I was a student.
Deep Orange gives graduate students hands-on experience, and leadership and collaboration opportunities. Students at CU-ICAR dedicated hard work and long hours during their two year MS program to create this fully functional vehicle. Deep Orange 7 was engineered around three primary goals: target the premium U.S. market in 2025, maximize the use of interior space, and ensure a fun driving experience. Some of the ways students achieved these goals include the addition of features such as a floating dashboard, a parking marshal that assists other drivers while parking near the Deep Orange 7 vehicle, and a customizable personal virtual companion, MINI FACE, that anticipates the needs of the driver and prevents relevant information on a holographic display.