This is how the headlights with Swarovski crystals are made for the BMW i7

Did you know that the new BMW i7 features headlights with Swarovski crystal? We were amazed too, and that’s why we want to tell you about it. Wattens is a small community in the Austrian Tyrol, home to around 8,000 people. But it is better known for the company it hosts: the world-famous Swarovski. The brand is known for producing some of the finest crystal jewellery on the planet, but it also ventures into manufacturing components for the automotive sector, which is why we are here.

The BMW i7 has headlights that are not just the typical glass and plastic projectors. They use Swarovski crystal for the projector. The Bavarian brand calls them “BMW Iconic Glow headlights” and they will be fitted to the BMW i7. This electric model will be the first to carry them. The place where these crystals begin their lives is not entirely different from where the rest of the BMW i7 begins its life: in a very hot room.

This is how the headlights of the new BMW i7 are made

The process begins with casting, as with many of the other parts of the BMW i7. From there, the crystals are transferred to a factory where they can be cut and coated. That process uses machines rather than human labour, presumably to meet the precise specifications the lights require. A slight deviation in the crystal means the light will not go where it should. After that, a technician thoroughly inspects each crystal before it is sent on its way.

The crystals were meant to resemble everything Swarovski had made before. Likewise, the Bavarian brand insists that the crystals had to look special and not like jewellery. Once fitted, the crystals extend along the upper housing of the new BMW i7’s headlight, forming the daytime running light and the turn signal.

The first electric 7 Series produces around 544 CV and 745 Nm of peak torque and should be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. We are not sure how much it will cost to replace them should they be damaged. Given the effort involved in making them, we are confident it will not be cheap.

Technical specifications of this car

SedanBMW i73 versions · from 116,000 €