BMW reorganizing design team / staff (FAZ article)

[KoenG]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

🤣

Chris is laughing all the way to the bank. He has his own design studio works at his own pace and he is the chef designer for Samsung.

I'am happy he designs my S24 and not my BMW to be honest.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by KoenG

Just remember it was Mr Van Hooydonck personally who stated that he couldn't mind a rat's ass about criticism of the current customer base. He stopped organizing design clinics because our opinions are worthless. The controversy was for him the prove that the designs were disruptive and innovative seen we're all conservative and can't recognise good design. The beaver grill and the XM which both shocked the world were to him epitomes of great design.

Such arrogance is not worth your respect. But I do agree that the responsability of the board is not to be neglected. Marcus Flash left M Gmbh also (mainly?) because his supercar project was ditched by the board in favor of the XM.

You mean the guy who said the XM is for rockstars who don’t eat at French restaurants? Didn’t Kanye have a song about Paris? Dude is an absolute joke and the XM flopped. He should be fired - every single design is an affront to the legacy of M.

It’s also crazy to me that ///M wrapped the XM - “the first ground up M car since the M1!” around a tree going up Pike’s Peak even after cutting hundreds of pounds of weight and tried to spin the story so hard in their favor. Those YouTube videos were instant classics.

[RPM33]

Originally Posted by AventurinG26

They need to fire Hornydonk or whatever his name is. These latest designs are just awful. We bought an i7 because we wanted an EV that was long range and it was $34K off MSRP. I HATE the way the thing looks in front and the interior looks cheap in places with the ugly plastic “diamond” trim that shines blinding sunlight right into your eyes. The HVAC vents should have moved to electronic control since they went all in on screen only controls, but instead they used these cheap rubber little nubs that you can barely see or tell what they’re doing to the vents. They look so cheap. Just give me a nice vent design with obvious baffles to move around or do what Tesla did that works well and make it controllable on the display so I can actually get the air to blow where I need. The new 5er is butt ugly. It doesn’t even look like a BMW. The XM, yikes. They’ve also got to stop cheapening the cars by removing curve following headlights. Our i7 had an MSRP of nearly $140K but it has cheaper and much worse headlights than what my $66K M440i GC had.

Sounds like you should have bought a Taycan instead.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by RPM33

Sounds like you should have bought a Taycan instead.

Taycan is the best looking EV in the market. Because it just looks like another Porsche.

[Masander]

Originally Posted by KoenG

Please keep that total idiot out! He almost single handedly killed BMW. Of course the board that approved is also responsable.

Bangle designed timeless classics. E60 from 2004 still looks modern and elegant. E65 was ahead of time, many modern cars have copied its design language in different ways.

[NickyC]

There is HOPE we will move on from these current ugly cars!!

[BigMonkeyWrench]

Most (but not all) of the latest designs from BMW are not only stupid looking, they are offensive. The XM with its Starsky and Hutch stripe down the side, goofy kink in the back and giant glowing nostrils is so lame. It's not for rockstars. It's for dorks.

Not sure hiring the guy responsible for Polesmoker is a good idea either. Didn't one of their latest concept cars have no back window?

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by sg13

…No EVs, not until they have a good selling record for 10 years from other manufacturers plus 350+ miles range. But I guess its too late for them to play smart like Toyota did.

Toyota didn’t play smart… Toyota played safe…❕

[pr0gi]

BMW is finally saved. It only needs to address the cheap materials it has started using in the interior.

[tuffode]

Originally Posted by FreudeamFahren18

I dont the incoming designer worked on the XC90, he designed the Polestar.

He was Volvo's chief exterior designer from 2012 to 2018, and the XC90 came out for 2016.

[hb]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

According to “Rule 60” he will retire from BMW in the next year, unless BMW changes the rule itself, or makes as exception to him and him only…

I have mad respect for Mr Adrian Van Hooydonk

Don’t blame him personally, blame the board of directors as they pick the designs

There is really no hard rule. He can stay past 60 and will. He won't retire for another 2-3 years. Even the 60 rule, which applies to the board usually, can be extended if needed.

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by hb

There is really no hard rule. He can stay past 60 and will. He won't retire for another 2-3 years. Even the 60 rule, which applies to the board usually, can be extended if needed.

I think they would be nuts to get rid of Adrian, but regardless if he leaves BMW, someone else will snag him. He has lots of shelflife left. And is a master of his craft.

[M3JetPilot]

To the new guys…you have one job. Design cars that remain true to the BMW legacy of clean, conservative styling that looks amazing when modded. Listen to the enthusiasts and give the people cars that don’t require changing the entire front end because the design sucks. The goal is clear and simple. Don’t screw it up.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by Masander

Bangle designed timeless classics. E60 from 2004 still looks modern and elegant. E65 was ahead of time, many modern cars have copied its design language in different ways.

Agree and manufacturers are still copping design elements from those two cars today.

[KoenG]

Originally Posted by Masander

Bangle designed timeless classics. E60 from 2004 still looks modern and elegant. E65 was ahead of time, many modern cars have copied its design language in different ways.

Before Bangle, a BMW received wide supported praise for their timeless classic and sporty design at the moment of reveal. I remember when the e38/9 was launched that it was instantly endorsed and loved by its target population. That ALL changed by Bangle.


All of a sudden you had to look once, twice and think the design over and over again. Until today his designs devide the target population. I personally still gaze at the e65: "what's this??". For a Pollock that is a good thing, for a mass production car much less.



That's the reason why they fired him.

[bandersen]

Did I read a post right here? Someone actually had good things to write about the Bangle butt?

Dude destroyed the most beautiful 5 & 7 series ever.

[S6F]

Agreed. I was waiting to replace my E39 540i when the E60 arrived. It struck me as brutally ugly. On occasion when I see an E60 now, it strikes me as, well, brutally ugly.

[KoenG]

Originally Posted by S6F

Agreed. I was waiting to replace my E39 540i when the E60 arrived. It struck me as brutally ugly. On occasion when I see an E60 now, it strikes me as, well, brutally ugly.

That's what I mean, Bangle polarised into two groups: lovers and haters. Before Bangle, we didn't have that, or you loved it or not so much. Adrian Van Hooydonck and Domagoj Dukec started to search very expliclitly controversy again. Why does BMW believe that they need to provoke a substantial portion of their current customer base?

[dadaabmw]

Originally Posted by jmack123

If you don’t think this is a good looking car, you have questionable taste. Literally haven’t heard of anyone who said this isn’t great design:

Polestar has Volvo-vibes, but looks so much better and mature.

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by M3JetPilot

To the new guys…you have one job. Design cars that remain true to the BMW legacy of clean, conservative styling that looks amazing when modded. Listen to the enthusiasts and give the people cars that don’t require changing the entire front end because the design sucks. The goal is clear and simple. Don’t screw it up.

The noye class and Porsche had a baby, and they slapped on the E46 side vents. NO Thank you AI

[demas]

I think the change/shakeup won’t necessarily deliver what a majority of long term owners want - a solid evolution of the E generation designs - not including the Bangle E60, 65 and up.


What Chris did was very selfish by promoting radical designs only to satisfy a personal desire. Typical of free-will ‘artsy’ types. They are not business people or automotive enthusiasts. The Board failed by not realizing where they were headed and the seeming success further blinded them for which they sacrificed the legacy that had been built.

I think Adrian followed the same footsteps - push radical designs because I want to and it will catch on - because BMW - and my greatness. What an idiot.


So, the new team has Adrian’s exec leadership guiding it so what do we expect? Going back to Reitzel’s classic strong designs that were truly BMW or another radical move to see what else they can do - all without any homage to what led them to success.

What’s more the main reason you bought a BMW was that immediate, impressive, way it drove on the road - the looks were a happy secondary addition. I can’t tell you that special feeling I had test driving the new E39 530i M-Sport back in 2000 and I thought my E36 was great (it was by the way). Plus those angel eyes - man, what a car. Ended up buying 3 of them.

So yeah, BMW do what you need to - so deep in a new direction you can’t realistically reverse. It’s your fault for hiring and cultivating looser design chiefs that lack capability to work as a company with a united vision as a car for drivers.

[BLKM]

Originally Posted by T-Rexx

I disagree.
Park a current M2 next to the current C63 and RS3 and the M2’s looks are miles ahead and genuinely looks special where the other two look bland and boring.

Totally agree… the G87 M2 will stand the test of time in its design … a modern classic !