What we know!
This wrap, bursting in color, is the brainchild and work of artist Alvara Barrington. He created it in response to an invite from BMW and former Art Car juror Hans Ulrich Obrist. This entry comes for the second consecutive year, with the iX5 Hydrogen appearing at the international art fair in Switzerland. It will join the fully electric i7 in VIP shuttle responsibilities during the event, which runs this week, June 19-22.
Partnership with Art Basel is nothing new for BMW. It has been an Official Automotive Partner for more than two decades, supporting creative voices that serve to shape contemporary culture. Barrington’s choice as artist aligns perfectly with the brand’s heritage of engaging with pioneering artistic perspectives. He calls it “Simply, 2025,” and it embodies the BMW iX5 Hydrogen fleet in the artist’s distinctive visual language.
In what is a striking wrap, Barrington has created a work of art that reflects his signature collage aesthetic, inspired by figures of cultural reinvention such as David Hockney, Richard Hamilton, Henri Matisse and Tina Turner. The wrap is not just a work of art, but embodies an emotional and cultural resonance as well.
His work also bridges both technology and humanity, boasting a vivid palette and layered forms. It fuses artistic vision with decision precision, serving as a futuristic symbol, demonstrating mobility that is not only sustainable but emotionally intelligent and culturally integrated.
According to the artist, “Driving culture is one of the most important cultures in the world – billions of people participate in it. As an artist who is supposed to be involved in cultural production, it’s really interesting to be part of this conversation about sustainability and the future of cars that BMW and the rest of the world is having.”
A combination of painting, multimedia and textiles, this work examines how materials carry cultural, political and personal histories. In addition to creating the wrap upon request, Barrington is also channeling his own significant journey, one rooted in curiosity about the
human-centric potential of technology and dynamic vision into motion through the medium of innovative transport, and in a joyous way.
“The collaboration with Alvara Barrington amplifies our pioneering fuel-cell technology through the lens of art,” Michael Rath, head of Hydrogen Vehicles at the BMW Group, said. “We are firmly committed to launching our first hydrogen-powered vehicle in 2028.”
When it comes to future plans, BMW says the company’s first series-production hydrogen model will be a new version of an existing product. To that end, it is expected to be based on the X5 (G65), which may offer additional powertrains. There is also talk that a battery–powered EV is in the works, along with a possible range-extending gasoline engine. Add to that the inline-six gasoline and diesel engines, a plug-in hybrid, and a big V8, and the next X5 could very well boast the most diverse lineup of any BMW.
The iX5 has followed several hydrogen prototypes that the automaker has been developing as far back as the late 1970s. In those early versions, combustion engines, including V12s, were used. This was long before engineers learned that a fuel cell would be more ideal. And as fuel cell technology is essentially another electric vehicle technology, the BMW Group views it as complementary to the drive tech used by battery electric vehicles and next to plug-in hybrid vehicles and internal combustion engines.
Planned to be officially confirmed as early as next year, the hydrogen-powered X5 will coincide with the launch of the next-gen X5. Custom wrapped at Art Basel and a clear expression of all the creativity and innovation BMW is known for, this iX5 Hydrogen fleet is ‘Simply’ the best!