Bangle quits BMW!!!

[m630]

:scared: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/03/breaking-chris-bangle-quits-bmw-auto-industry/ :electric:

[chuck92103]

Should be interesting future. Although current and planned designs go out many years. So it will be 5-10 years before we see any change in direction.

I see this as a loss. No other make took such chances in design and helped the car company double its sales.

[m630]

i agree, i liked his radical ideas, they were very timely and help :bmw: greatly, and also agreed that designs wont change in the short term as Adrian was the actual designer of many of the cars

[InsidiousSpeed]

van Hooydonk and his team have been designing the BMW's we saw since the E66 7 series appeared in 2001, with Bangle's direction. I doubt we will see any radical loss/change just because Bangle quits. BMW has clearly defined its car styling with so many models since 2001.

[boxboss]

I agree, Bangle was good for BMW. Look how many cars today have copied the "look" of a BMW rear in one fashion or another.

[m630]

yup, even MB took some buttness cues from the Bangle in the current S Class :scared: and of course every other company has copied some of his designs in the past as well, it will be interesting to see where the next-next gen takes us as it will again be revolutionary just by the fact that a new design team will be in place...where in for radical change again I would bet :levitate:

[karen1122]

I will miss him as his lines seemed to be way ahead of their times. The E65 that I origionally though looked like S*** is sitting in my garage. The Z4 was a fast hit.

Was this in the works? Z10 renderings (real or faked) show a real change in direction.

[karen1122]

According to a brief statement released by the automaker, the 52-year-old Bangle has left to "...pursue his own design-related endeavors beyond the auto industry." From the sound of things, the breakup would appear to be an amicable one, as he will "maintain strong ties to the BMW Group."


What a load of BS this is!! Read between the lines. You killed by creative direction and I am pissed.

[m630]

it definitely is a strange move, he ran arguably the best automotive design house in the world and he's at the pinnacle of his carrer....just very very strange if he just 'decided himself' to leave :electric:

[boxboss]

it definitely is a strange move, he ran arguably the best automotive design house in the world and he's at the pinnacle of his carrer....just very very strange if he just 'decided himself' to leave :electric:
:stupid: If you were Bangle, head of the design team at BMW (arguably at the pinnacle of your career), would you just decide to leave? Maybe Fiat or Citreon has an opening?

[bdaw]

The comments on that article are hysterical. :greenlaff:

[InsidiousSpeed]

Many do leave at the perceived "pinnacle", leaving behind a "legacy", going out on a high note. The BMW executive board picks and approves which styling gets the production green light, so although Bangle & team may be credited with a lot of designs, remember it is the corporate board who says which is OK and which is not.

[karen1122]

The BMW executive board picks and approves which styling gets the production green light, so although Bangle & team may be credited with a lot of designs, remember it is the corporate board who says which is OK and which is not.

The board also has the responsibility of assuring that there is a creative path for the future and trusting it. Thinking that they can do a better job without a clear vision for the future is a sure sign of death.

[BHR4CE1]

SOURCE: BMW BLOG

As promised, we’re back with some new information regarding Bangle’s departure from BMW, the reasons behind it and how will this impact BMW and future designs.

As we might have hinted earlier, lately it has been an internal fight, argument if you would like to call it, about the future of some BMW projects. Apparently, the Project i is the one that divided the designers and the board. Mr. Bangle’s idea did not coincide with his protege, Adrian Von Hooydonk, and BMW’s Chief of Research & Development, Dr. Draeger, and CEO, Reithofer, who is directly responsible for the Project i.

http://www.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/behind-scene-7series-24-500x368.jpg

Bangle’s ideas were denied and felt marginalized since other people in is design department didn’t quite support him. This conflict pushed him to resign from BMW since he couldn’t take responsibility for the design strategy chosen by other people.

The Board of Directors tried to convince Bangle to stay on board and alternative positions were offered to him, including the Design Director of the U.S based, DesignworksUSA. Bangle turned down the offers but he will still cooperate at some level with BMW, mainly on non-automotive projects, most likely in the Designworks team. Sources say that he might be involved in some interior design projects, but probably too early to know for sure.

Adrian Von Hooydonk will be the replacement and will be involved in the Project i, which has been “greenlighted” by the Board. Regarding Project i , the fight was about whether to introduce a new brand and design, or to introduce the new vehicles under BMW or MINI brand.

As we know, BMW design language and strategy is set in motion years before the models hit the showrooms, so there will not be an immediate change in the BMW, MINI or Rolls-Royce designs. The first post-Bangle era design will be seen in 6-7 years, in one of the new BMWs.

So ….very unexpectedly the Bangle-era has ended at BMW AG. Ironically the advertised “New Era” has at least officially arrived: the company is going through a huge economic crisis, Chris Bangle resigns after many years with the company, the new M models are going turbo and overall, the BMW brand is repositioning itself…a “New Era” indeed.

As an ending point, it is worth mentioning that Von Hooydonk’s ideas on all the design languages was and is very in sync with Bangle views, Project i being the exception.

Who was right or wrong? Time will tell…..

Thank you to our sources for the valuable information, I can’t say any names, but you know who you are.

[KuniBMW]

I just wrote a response speculating on this very conflict, but then this post confirmed before I posted....With all due respect to the fantastic and successful Bangle, I am a fan of VanHooydonk. I think he may be less controversial, but aesthetically dead-center!