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May 01, 2012
Design Considerations

BMW Limo Gondola

Post by admin

Over the last two decades the ropeway industry has been dominated by two major groups: Doppelmayr and Leitner-Poma. And during those last two decades, one could reasonably argue that Doppelmayr has spent far more time and attention on cabin design than their rival – to a point where Leitner cabin design has been a little bit staid and conservative.

After all, the list of customized cabin designs under Doppelmayr’s belt is impressive: The Urban Concept cabins in Koblenz ; the 5 Star VIP gondola in Singapore; Finland’s Sauna Gondola; the Cabrio; etc. Leitner, on the other hand, hasn’t dabbled in custom cabins nearly as much.

But that might be about to change . . .

At the recent SAM International Trade Fair in Grenoble, LEITNER ropeways unveiled the BMW Individual by Leitner cabin. It’s a standard SIGMA Diamond cabin (standard to most Leitner systems) but it’s interior is outfitted “with the style and luxury of (a) BMW 7-series limousine.”

Now granted this isn’t an operational gondola system, only a display. But it could indicate a shift in Leitners thinking. Things like the BMW Individual may not be a practical application of design but the potential value such design represents is huge. Not only do things like this attract attention, but they allow a company to demonstrate their ability to tailor their products to any market – a defining feature in an industry long characterized by pre-fabrication.

It’s certainly worth taking a look:

Image via Leitner.

Image via Leitner.

Image via Leitner.

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1 Comment

  • I believe, many of the ‘ideas’ were requirements and demand of its customers (Sauna, Cabrio, equipment versions).

    You find more ropeway companies at the market (Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Canada, USA, Turkey, India, Japan, China). . Here (http://wiki.alpinforum.com/index.php/Seilbahnhersteller) you can find a list of them (german language).

    But different companies gave each other the word of consent to a fusion. Resume is: Doppelmayr (A) + Garaventa (CH) + CWA (CH, cabins) + …

    and Leitner (I) + POMA (F) + …

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