Oscar-Winner Hans Zimmer Came Up With These Sounds For BMW’s New i7

Fresh off his Academy Award for Dune, Hans Zimmer has created another soundtrack that is sure to make audiophiles squeal tunefully. The two-time Oscar winner’s soundscapes for the brand new BMW i7 have finally been shared with the world.

As with other electric vehicles, the i7 doesn’t make a meaningful amount of drivetrain noise, so BMW was left to create its own audio cues for the drivers of its new luxury sedan. The automaker refers to this as the “creation of holistic sound worlds” and they’ve been created for everything from the welcome chime to the ready-to-drive signal, to the sounds that react to a driver’s inputs, and even to the acoustic soundscapes that are combined with car’s fancy new BMW Theatre Screen, which might just be large enough to watch Dune on without upsetting Denis Villeneuve.

Start Sound

Stop Sound

Theatre Sound

Welcome Sound

The driving sound experiences, meanwhile, can be individually selected via the My Modes menu and include Personal, Sport, and Efficient, as well as “Expressive” and “Relax.” In all modes, the intensity and frequency of the drive sounds are based on the position of the accelerator and the driving situation. In the Expressive and Relax modes, the soundscapes also interact with the lighting mood and the screen graphics to create an even more holistic experience.

Personal Sound

Sport Sound

In Personal Mode the driver gets “spherical sounds” that emphasize the progressive character of the i7 while in Sport mode, the sound is powerful and pronounced to play off the car’s 536 hp (544 PS / 405 kW) and 549 lb-ft (744 Nm) of torque. Expressive mode, on the other hand, is described as being lively and dynamic, while the Relax mode does what it says on the box.

Expressive Sound – Long

Expressive Sound – Short

Relax Sound

If the driver prefers not to be scored by Mr. Zimmer, they will have to switch to Efficient mode, in which the active sound is completely suppressed. Being a luxury sedan, the i7 is endowed with excellent soundproofing, which leads to an almost silent driving experience, so that you focus on hypermiling.

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“We want to offer customers a unique driving and travel experience in the BMW i7. In the area of user experience, we are breaking new ground to achieve this, which also includes the drive sound,” explains Domagoj Dukec, Head of BMW Design. “Sound in particular plays a central role in the emotional connection between the driver and his vehicle. Innovations such as BMW IconicSounds Electric make the BMW i7 a pioneer for a new, holistic driving experience.”