From BMW Press

“The BMW Group has reorganized its development departments as it focuses more strongly on its BMW and MINI brands and Rolls-Royce MC. In the course of this new orientation, Christopher Bangle, Director of BMW Group Design, has also aligned the design area towards the various business areas of the BMW Group. Individual design studios have been set up for BMW and MINI and Rolls-Royce as well as for BMW Motorrad and BMW M. These new studios will now accompany the entire development process for new models from the first sketches to the start of production. They will receive support from cross-brand specialist departments responsible for strategic and technical tasks, for example model technology.

The heads of departments responsible up to now for the design of MINI, Rolls-Royce MC, BMW Motorrad and BMW M will head the respective brand design studios: Gert Volker Hildebrand (MINI), Ian Cameron (Rolls-Royce MC), David Robb (BMW Motorrad) and Ulf Weidhase (BMW M and Individual). A new yet familiar member of the team of Group Design Director Christopher Bangle is Adrian van Hooydonk who will head the BMW automobile brand studio. Until now Van Hooydonk was president of DesignworksUSA, the Californian design studio of the BMW Group.

…Gert Volker Hildebrand, 50, has headed the MINI design team since 2000. Before this appointment he headed design teams at Volkswagen, Seat and Mitsubishi.”

For those that don't know it was Frank Stephenson who designed the current MINI back in the mid to late 90's. He is now head of all design at Ferrari.

This seems to be a fairly smart move as it reinforces brand within the product development and design of each of the three brands. As BMW nurtures MINI design and development in the years to come I think they will be very aware of it's unique position. They truly are stewards of the MINI brand it's nice to see them make these commitments.