BMW GINA uses fabric skin for body
Upholstery Journal | August 2008
The radical GINA, which stands for Geometry and Functions in ‘N’ Adaptations, is a vehicle in a fabric skin.
The GINA Light Visionary Model (LVM) roadster wears a fabric skin comprised of a wire-mesh inner stabilizing layer and a water- and temperature-resistant outer layer that stretches over a mechanized electro-hydraulic metal and carbon frame. The frame shifts on driver command to optimize airflow in certain driving conditions, wrinkling and stretching the skin as it moves. The eight-cylinder engine hides under a 1.6-foot slit that opens and closes. Turn signals and taillights glow through the fabric. The skin opens to reveal BMW’s traditional round headlamps.
Flexibility, resistance to temperature extremes and water resistance weren’t the only fabric challenges to BMW designers. The dimensional stability—retaining surface tension despite humidity, temperature and constant expansion—posed the greater obstacle. BMW tapped the expertise of its fabric experts, designers of car interiors, to develop patterns, cut the webbing with maximum precision, determine the strategic attachment points and stretch the fabric over the frame.
The GINA is still in concept stages and is not yet available to the public.
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