- BMW looks to have beaten Tesla to the punch with X-inspired design cues.
- The daytime running lights of the new X5 are different from those of all other BMWs.
- In the new X5, the DRLs double as turn signals, making them look even more striking.
The world has an all-new BMW X5, and it has certainly got people talking. This is the third all-new model launched by BMW as part of its current Neue Klasse “era”, following the second-generation iX3 and the new i3 electric sedan. Its design is mostly familiar, though it carries some very intriguing daytime running lights that seem inspired by the logo of one of Elon Musk’s companies.
Where the new iX3 and i3 use relatively simple angled slashes for their DRLs, the X5 opts for X-shaped units that look virtually identical to the X logo of the platform formerly known as Twitter. Perhaps BMW’s designers spent a little too much time on social media while penning the new SUV.
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The resemblance runs deeper than the overall X shape. Just like the logo used by X, the DRLs on the left of the new iX5 include a large void in the line running from left to right, and the angle looks almost identical too. Once you see it, you won’t be able to unsee it.
The DRLs on the right side of the X5 are the same, although they’re obviously mirrored and flipped the other way. Like many new cars, the DRLs also double as the turn signals, so drivers will also have flashing Xs whenever they’re making a turn or using the hazard lights.
Why BMW went this route rather than copying the simpler lights used by the iX3 and i3 is hard to pin down, though the company likely wanted to set the X5 apart from those two models and give its biggest new SUV a signature all its own. Was this the best solution to that problem? We’re not so sure, but BMW did at least beat Elon Musk to the punch here. If he spots these DRLs on the road, he may well wonder why Tesla didn’t think of stamping its own logo into a set of headlights first.
