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How The BMW i7' s Crazy Swarovski Crystal Headlights Are Made
May. 10, 2022 7:19 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Electric Vehicles / 8 Comments It's quite a process.
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Sophie Martin 1 minutes ago
Wattens is a small community in Austrian Tyrol. In it live around 8,000 people....
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Noah Davis Member
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Wattens is a small community in Austrian Tyrol. In it live around 8,000 people.
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William Brown 8 minutes ago
But it's better known for the company it houses: the world-famous Swarovski. The brand is known ...
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Thomas Anderson 10 minutes ago
The BMW i7 has headlights that aren't just your typical glass and plastic projectors. Instead, t...
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Natalie Lopez Member
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But it's better known for the company it houses: the world-famous Swarovski. The brand is known for producing some of the finest crystal jewelry on the planet. But it also dabbles in auto parts manufacturing, which is why we're here.
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Kevin Wang 7 minutes ago
The BMW i7 has headlights that aren't just your typical glass and plastic projectors. Instead, t...
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Brandon Kumar 8 minutes ago
The Bavarian brand calls them "BMW Iconic Glow headlights," which are a first on any BMW m...
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Dylan Patel Member
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The BMW i7 has headlights that aren't just your typical glass and plastic projectors. Instead, they use Swarovski crystal for the projector.
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Emma Wilson 11 minutes ago
The Bavarian brand calls them "BMW Iconic Glow headlights," which are a first on any BMW m...
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Sofia Garcia Member
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The Bavarian brand calls them "BMW Iconic Glow headlights," which are a first on any BMW model. Where these crystals start their lives isn't wholly dissimilar to where the rest of the i7 starts its life. In a very hot room.
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Julia Zhang 3 minutes ago
BMW BMW/YouTube The process starts with smelting, like so many of the i7's other bits and pieces...
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Evelyn Zhang 5 minutes ago
A slight deviation in the crystal means that the light won't go to the right place. After that, ...
BMW BMW/YouTube The process starts with smelting, like so many of the i7's other bits and pieces. From there crystals are moved to a factory where they can be cut and coated. That process uses machines rather than human hands, presumably to meet the necessary specs for the lights.
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Henry Schmidt Member
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A slight deviation in the crystal means that the light won't go to the right place. After that, a technician thoroughly inspects each crystal before sending it off to its fate. BMW wanted the crystals to look unlike anything Swarovski had made before.
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Elijah Patel 11 minutes ago
It says the crystals had to look grown, and not like jewelry. We're betting this is a nice way o...
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Isabella Johnson 10 minutes ago
BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube We've seen the i7 in person, and we can confirm ...
It says the crystals had to look grown, and not like jewelry. We're betting this is a nice way of saying "those very expensive crystals had better look super rad." In all honesty, they definitely do. Once in place, the crystals run the length of the i7's upper headlight housing, which makes up the daytime running light and turn signal.
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Ava White 2 minutes ago
BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube We've seen the i7 in person, and we can confirm ...
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Dylan Patel 38 minutes ago
The first electric 7 Series produces around 536 hp and 549 lb-ft of torque and should be good for 0-...
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Mia Anderson Member
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BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube BMW/YouTube We've seen the i7 in person, and we can confirm that the crystals catch a good bit of light even when not backlit by the car's LEDs. It creates a very unique effect that BMW is sure to capitalize on when you walk up to the car. Given the i7's starting price of $119,300, we'd expect nothing less.
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Chloe Santos 2 minutes ago
The first electric 7 Series produces around 536 hp and 549 lb-ft of torque and should be good for 0-...
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Andrew Wilson 5 minutes ago
Given the effort that goes into making them, we're sure it won't be cheap. Maybe you can mak...
The first electric 7 Series produces around 536 hp and 549 lb-ft of torque and should be good for 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds. In other words, those very expensive-looking crystals will be in for a hell of a ride. Speaking of pricing, we're uncertain how much these will cost to replace should they be damaged.
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Sofia Garcia 11 minutes ago
Given the effort that goes into making them, we're sure it won't be cheap. Maybe you can mak...
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Grace Liu 18 minutes ago
Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely pai...
BMW i7 Chase Bierenkoven Associate Editor Shortly before applying to law school, Chase decided to take a chance on pursuing his dream job: playing with cars and getting paid for it.
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Ethan Thomas 5 minutes ago
Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely pai...
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Kevin Wang Member
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Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely paid his grocery bill.
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Emma Wilson Admin
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It quickly turned into a full-time position, eventually leading Chase to join CarBuzz in 2022. Chase now tests cars, and sits comfortably at the news desk when he's not in the driver's seat. In his spare time, Chase can be heard trying to play guitar, or out enjoying Colorado's natural splendor in his BMW M3.
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James Smith 39 minutes ago
Contact Chase @bierenkoven @cbier823 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 Car...
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Sophia Chen 20 minutes ago
How The BMW i7' s Crazy Swarovski Crystal Headlights Are Made CarBuzz News Features New Cars Use...
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How The BMW i7' s Crazy Swarovski Crystal Headlights Are Made CarBuzz News Features New Cars Use...