BMW releases Vision M Next treats — including data to 3D-print your own replica

BMW wants enthusiasts of all kinds to be able to interact with the Vision M Next in ways no automaker has yet permitted. At the same time as the reveal, the Munich carmaker published a page with a 3D-printing data set, wallpapers, a poster, and a sound file of the Vision M Next under acceleration. That first technical bit will allow anyone with a 3D printer to put an accurate model on their desks, and in any size; BMW didn’t restrict the scale, so anyone with an industrial-sized printer could create a life-sized model.

It’s too bad the source code is off limits, else makers could print the coupe’s Electric Orange components separately; the day-glo sections represent where electric motors reside. BMW does advise to print the rims separately from the bodywork — the model comes programmed that way — saying, “It will improve the outcome significantly.” We can only hope there’ll be more such gifts on the way, perhaps the interior and its Memory Foam seating and three-layer instrument cluster, or the as-yet-unknown 600-horsepower powertrain with four-cylinder engine.

Perhaps just as interesting is the Vision M Next sound file, below. BMW acoustic engineer Renzo Vitale partnered with movie composer Hans Zimmer to create “BMW IconicSounds Electric.” That will be the library of “gradually morphing sound textures” for electric vehicles that replace the snarl of an ICE exhaust, intended to bond a driver with his car. From the single 18-second clip, it’s clear BMW will gets its money’s worth. The snippet sounds like something taking off from another galaxy in a distant century. The future just got more fascinating.