BMW Group Win Design Team of the Year

Shouldn’t this article say that the BMW Group design team has won despite being led by Bangle?

I second those thoughts Gabe, think the sale results speak pretty clearly.

I have never read anything that states Chris Bangle’s involvement in the design of the original New MINI.

I have never been a fan of Chris Bangle. I think the man is a little too full of himself and some of his design cues are very polarizing, either you love them or you hate them. The original 2002 BMW 7 Series was heavely critcized and nearly ripped apart by the automotive press. Some of the controversial design cues of the 7 series have been softened or taken away in subsequent facelifts of the model.

The Z4 roadster is another design Bangle I have never been impressed with. The Hardtop fixes a lot of the visual problems the soft top version has, however.

Now, I think the new 335 Coupe is drop dead georgeous. Clearly Bangle is moving away from the hunch back trunk lids and the Pontiasque headlights and weird beltline creases. The 335 coupe is a very clean, sleek and simply VERY BMW design. To me this car goes back to the great BMW design of yesteryear…clean, simple and less is more.

But I detest the rear end treatment of the 3 series sedan and sportswagon. The current 5 series is a mixed bag IMO, but thankfully a new model is coming out in the next couple of years.

I am not saying that Mr. Bangle is incompetent, rather, he came accross as a fairly arrogant designer in early interviews where he claimed that his vision was the only one for BMW and people would, eventually, come to accept and embrace his designs.

So I was reading Chris Bangle’s bio and it is interesting that before he became an auto designer he had considered pursuing a career as a Methodist Minister. He was born 14 October 1956 in Ravenna, Ohio. He attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

His first job as auto designer was with Opel where he designed the interior of the Junior concept car. He then became Fiat’s chief of design and was credited by the angular looking Fiat Coupe. He then came over to BMW in 1992 becoming the first ever American to occupy the post of chief of design but he had little experience in designing complete cars. The first protoype model completed under his watch was the 1999 Z9 concept car, forever changing the design language at BMW, which was fairly conservative at the time. In 2004 he became the chief of design for the entire BMW Group, including the Rolls Royce and MINI brands. Dutch designer Adrian Van Hooydonk replaced Bangle in his previously occupied post as chief of BMW design.

However, there is no mention of Bangle’s direct involvement with the original New MINI, prior to his nomination as BMW Group chief designer prior to 2004.

This is what his colleagues say about his designs:

J. Mays from Ford: He dislikes Bangle’s auto designs but does recognize that Bangle has been instrumental in reshaping the modern automoile.

Marc Newson, industrial designer and car enthusiast, describes the Z4 roadster as having been design with a machete.

Patrick LeQuement, chief designer at Renault favors most of Bangle’s work but he is concerned with the use of concave surfaces that take away the muscular an integrated look of a car design.

Martin Smith, head of design for Ford Europe, describes Bangle as an instigator of the trend towards “Surface entertainment” cars.

I also never seen any part of the “Bangle influence” in Stephenson’s designs…furthermore it has been documented that he carried the MINI design through on his own warm and convincing management style while based in England to see his design through to production. Bangle is good I think but not for evolutionary design. He is more a radical breakaway designer and MINI was lucky that Stephenson had the power to design the MINI in the way he envision it should be. The new MINI design team after Stephenson leaved to Ferrari only had to concentrate on not messing up a masterpiece.

I think frank should get his own blog

This is an interesting group of comments.

You know, these recent interviews on WRR have really helped me realize something. I’m a designer in my professional life. I craft marketing messages, design brand elements, and build UI for web and micro-sites. There are a hundred things that go into even something as simple as “Let’s Motor” – in fact, the more elegant something is, chances are that a TON of work went into it. I know that process well in advertising.

I really have little idea what goes on behind the scenes when cars are getting designed. I’m not going to pretend to. Or at least I’m going to stop.

I know what I like, and my education and experience as a designer informs that, but I could hardly start telling Gert and crew what to do. We’re all entitled to our opinions and MotoringFile is certainly the place to discuss them. I just have a problem with how ever since Gert and Kay talked to WRR at MINI United, some of the commentary has gotten directed at actual people on the design team at MINI and that’s over the line in my opinion. I may hate the center stack in the R56, but I know full well Gert and his team and even the infamous Chris Bangle know a hell of a lot more about car design than I do. What’s more they’ve spent hundreds of hours dissecting every aesthetic aspect of the MINI. Don’t get me wrong, I love that we all put our $0.02 in. But I think we could all learn a little from Gert. He is humble enough to admit, very on the spot, that he and his team aren’t perfect. Let’s have the same humble respect for those experts. Let’s be passionate about our cars. Let’s say what’s on our minds. Let’s love the brand.

Yeah, let’s motor.

NS in MN

bingo

When it comes to the design of the R56 there has been a whole lot more blind contempt than blind love going on… Its telling when the criticisms become obsessively repetitive and oft linked to changes from the prior model.

Gabe, so what did Gert say about the factory aero kit? That was one of the areas I was waiting to hear him questioned on that did not happen in the interview.

What a joke. The only thing and I do mean the only thing I hate about MINI is the fact that it is owned by BMW. Chris Bangle is not a great designer- And in fact will not be remembered in the long tale. The current BMW’s exude a distasteful hardness, coldness that is leaving a very bad taste in many customers mouth. Why do you think Audi is gaining so much ground? Its quite obvious- they are working to make people feel comfortable in their automobiles. Not more alienated. And they are building some kick AZZ cars but thats another story. I so wont to love the MINI and I once did but I feel the coldness forming.