With the Vision BMW ALPINA, BMW is showing for the first time how the Alpina brand will continue under the BMW Group umbrella. The vision car presented at the 2026 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este embraces central motifs of the brand: confident driving performance, high travel comfort, discreet recognizability, and that form of sportiness that never aims solely at harshness. At the same time, it reveals the strategic position ALPINA will occupy within the BMW Group in the future: between BMW’s upper class models and Rolls-Royce—where performance, exclusivity, and comfort converge.
The history of Alpina began in 1965 in Buchloe, a small town in Bavaria at the foot of the Alps. Burkard Bovensiepen, a young automotive enthusiast, initially began refining BMW vehicles for road and racing use. In 1983, Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG was officially recognized as an automobile manufacturer. For decades, Alpina remained closely connected to BMW while developing its own vision of sporty exclusivity. Since January 1, 2026, BMW ALPINA has been managed as an independent exclusive brand under the BMW Group umbrella. One fundamental principle has remained throughout this evolution: performance and comfort were never considered separately at Alpina. Even at high speeds, the vehicles stood for confident stability and high travel comfort.
»Alpina has always stood for a very special philosophy of performance and refinement—a concept in which dynamics and comfort are not opposites, but complementary aspirations. As the new owners of this special brand, it is our responsibility to preserve its unmistakable character while developing it in a contemporary way,« said Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design, on the occasion of the world premiere of the Vision BMW ALPINA. The groundbreaking design concept was presented to the public for the first time at the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
With this concept, the Bavarian manufacturer aims to pay respect to the brand’s history while simultaneously developing it further. The vehicle is 5.2 meters long and radiates an almost sculptural presence through its wide, flat appearance. The long, flowing coupé roofline that extends forward signals dynamism while offering generous travel comfort for four people. This line is one of those elements that illustrates the essential interplay of comfort and speed. »Only a relaxed driver is a faster driver« was also one of Burkard Bovensiepen’s credos.
Automotive designer Maximilian Missoni, who moved from Polestar to BMW in 2024, played a leading role in designing the concept. »With the Vision BMW ALPINA, we distill the essence of the brand and reinterpret it in a highly modern yet sophisticated way,« says Missoni, who holds a leadership position responsible for the design of the upper mid-range, upper class, and BMW ALPINA. »Every detail embodies substance—in engineering, in materials, and in the story it tells. The statements are deliberately subtle and often reveal themselves only upon closer inspection. It is the interplay of clarity and depth that will define the design language of BMW ALPINA.«
A central element of this design language is the so-called »Shark Nose,« which reinterprets the BMW kidney grille as a sculptural, three-dimensional element. Starting from the front, the exterior develops along a clear axis, the so-called speed feature line. With its six-degree incline, it rises from the lower corners of the front and guides the side line all the way to the rear. The fact that some details only reveal themselves upon closer inspection is also part of ALPINA’s subtly exclusive brand identity. Remaining recognizable without being obtrusive—that could be the credo behind elements like the well-known decorative lines, which have been modernized and reduced to the essentials for the Vision BMW ALPINA.
The previously mentioned speed feature line continues into the interior, separating the darker upper area from the lighter lower section. The stitching also incorporates the characteristic decorative lines. Overall, the interior appears spacious, calm, and deliberately restrained—the materials are exclusive and high-quality without pushing themselves to the forefront. The Alpina idea remains recognizable: the interior is designed for travel comfort but never loses its connection to driving. A concept that certainly creates anticipation for the future of ALPINA under the BMW Group umbrella. Especially because it keeps the brand core that has grown over decades recognizable while transforming it into a contemporary form. [Ed.]
