BMW reorganizing design team / staff (FAZ article)

[mbanck]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

https://archive.is/hhsMJ

One of the leading German newspapers, FAZ, reports that BMW is about to announce a design staff reorganization (Google translation):

The Bavarian car manufacturer BMW is reorganizing its design department and is also bringing in staff from outside. According to information from the FAZ, the change is to be announced in the next few days. According to this, responsibilities will be divided up under the leadership of the current head of design, Adrian van Hooydonk.

Maximilian Missoni will now be responsible for the upper middle class, luxury class and the relatively new acquisition Alpina. He previously spent six years designing the recognized elegant design of the Swedish electric car brand Polestar. Polestar is a spin-off from Volvo , where Missoni was also responsible for the exterior design for several years. The 45-year-old studied in London, then worked in Germany for ten years, and joined Volvo in 2012. He was born in Graz, Austria. His ancestors moved north from Italy in the 19th century with the railway construction, his father comes from Carinthia.

Opinions differ about Mini

Oliver Heilmer, currently head of design at Mini, will be responsible for the smaller models from the 1 Series to the mid-range. The Munich native, who is extremely unpretentious and friendly in person, has been responsible for the BMW-owned brand since 2017. Opinions differ on the latest Mini models, of course, and not everyone finds the interpretation to be entirely successful.

A change is also planned at the British luxury brand Rolls-Royce, which also belongs to the group . Domagoj Dukec is to take over the design. The German-Croatian, born in Frankfurt in 1975, currently heads the design studio of the core brand BMW.

BMW's design language needs fresh impetus and a spirit of optimism, according to a usually reliable source. The appointments are to take effect on October 1st. The new management team will one day be the successor to chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk. The Dutchman, born in 1964, has been in charge of BMW's design department since 2009. He is to remain at the top for a while and then hand over the management in an orderly process. BMW really has enough of the hectic pace these days.

[reallymarkedup]

BMW's design language needs fresh impetus and a spirit of optimism, according to a usually reliable source.

That's a friendly way of saying it jumped the shark in the last 3 years.

[elitex]

Great news. Don’t really get the new design direction tbh.

[drew310]

Maybe next gen of M cars won’t be so hideous

[PetarG20]

Originally Posted by mbanck

https://archive.is/hhsMJ

One of the leading German newspapers, FAZ, reports that BMW is about to announce a design staff reorganization (Google translation):

Hopefully domagoj dukec is out the door then

[NathObeaN]

Thank goodness. They’ve acknowledged they have a problem at last. Better late than never I guess. Here’s to hoping the change is a positive one!

[jmack123]

Considering I’m a current Polestar owner and therefore appreciate their design, I think Missoni is going to be a welcomed addition.

[jeffd]

It’s about damn time. Things have been looking pretty ugly lately. They need an organizational LCI in their design department.

[MDM]

Oh god…spin off from Volvo.

[Rafichicago]

Not sure how current design mixed with polestar’s could make things better. I wish they would finally introduce something that’s aesthetically appealing rather than controversial and polarizing.

[GOLFFRR]

[playswcars]

Thank fuck honestly

[roastbeef]

It can only improve.

[Leem40i]

It's about time. I don't know what they were thinking with the latest designs they've come out with over the last few years.

[DoctorGentleman]

Originally Posted by NathObeaN

Thank goodness. They’ve acknowledged they have a problem at last. Better late than never I guess. Here’s to hoping the change is a positive one!

It’s never too late to correct a mistake. This is exciting news

[rwdbmwonly]

That’s exactly what we don’t want to hear: a MINI guy designing the small BMWs. Since everything with more than 2 doors sub 3 series/X3 is now technically already a Mini we can safely say goodbye to entry level BMWs having some BMW dna left. Pure discrimination: if you want a proper BMW buy 3/X3 or upwards 😠

[Bmwlmr99]

Great news seems like other cars are getting sexyier and bmw was just trying it's damndest not too

[Leem40i]

Originally Posted by rwdbmwonly

That’s exactly what we don’t want to hear: a MINI guy designing the small BMWs. Since everything with more than 2 doors sub 3 series/X3 is now technically already a Mini we can safely say goodbye to entry level BMWs having some BMW dna left. Pure discrimination: if you want a proper BMW buy 3/X3 or upwards 😠

Because you think auto designers can only do one design? 🤣

[rwdbmwonly]

Originally Posted by Leem40i

Because you think auto designers can only do one design? 🤣

No, because they enforce the division between the segments below 3 series level and upwards.

[Schn3ll]

So there’s some hope left?

Just start firing everyone from the design team first.

[DFW_M]

Dukec still there?

[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.