MINI Design Head Gert Hildebrand to Leave at the End of the Year
It’s never surprising to see a successful design professional move on after ten years working with one brand. However it can be a bit of a shock when that person has come to so embody the position and the brand he has lead. Gert Hildebrand has been a friend to this site and in a sense to all of it’s readers (likely more than most realize). He’s lead MINI through a controlled expansion of the brand impeccably well with increased sales and well earned critical acclaim growing year after year. However perhaps as importantly he’s treated MINI’s design traditions with care while dealing with the endless regulations around modern automotive design.
Gert will be stepping down at the end of the year and will be
replaced by the exceptionally talented Anders Warming who currently heads BMW exterior design.
We’ll have more of Gert and his legacy at MINI in the coming weeks. Until then, here’s the official press release.
Official Release: Gert Volker Hildebrand (57) has been responsible for the complete design development of the MINI brand since January 2001 and, with his design team, has shaped the development of the MINI brand portfolio. Over the last 10 years, the head of the MINI Design studio has provided the impetus for countless MINI vehicle concepts and for the entire design development. Alongside the further development of the third generation of the classic MINI, the MINI Cabrio and MINI Clubman were also created under his leadership. This year, Gert Hildebrand and his team added a real 4-door version to the MINI brand: the MINI Countryman, launched in September.
The MINI Coupé and MINI Roadster concepts presented in 2009, which will be appearing on the market in 2011 and 2012, were also created in the MINI Design studio under his guidance. Apart from designing cars, Gert Volker Hildebrand has also devoted himself to encouraging young designers and to talking about design in institutions and to the public.
Anders Warming, head of Exterior Design, BMW Automobiles, started working for DesignworksUSA in California in 1997. Following this, the 38-year-old Dane was employed in various positions as an automobile designer before coming to Munich in 2005 as Team Leader, Advanced Design, BMW Group. In 2007, he took over as head of Exterior Design, BMW Automobiles. Under his leadership, the BMW Z4, BMW 5 Series and the BMW Concept 6 Series Coupé, presented at the Paris Auto Show, were created.
“I would like to wish Gert Hildebrand all the best for the future and thank him for working with us so well and so successfully”, says Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design. “Anders Warming has the expertise, the necessary experience and the intuition to take the MINI brand, with the support of the entire MINI Design team, into a ever more successful future.”
<p>Mr Hildebrand , an enthusiastic Thank You for the design of my R50. It’s the first car I’ve ever owned that I plan on keeping indefinitely. I feel that attached to its aesthetic (and engineering).</p>
<p>Sad to see Gert Hildebrand leaving MINI, though I am not a fan of his R60 development I can say the brand will miss him. I had the chance to meet and talk to him several points over MTTS this year and was blown away with meeting such a great person. A huge thank you for Gert for all your hard work and passion with the MINI brand over the years. I look forward to seeing where Anders Warming leads our brand over the years ahead.</p>
<p>*Clarification.</p>
<p>Thank You for the stewardship and design of my facelift R50.</p>
<p>2nd on MatthewW’s enthusiasm. We love our ’06 R52 and have more fun in it than any other roadster we’ve owned. (’62 TR – ’64 XK-E)</p>
<p>Thank-you, Gert Hildebrand :)</p>
<p>Vielen dank Herr Hildebrand!</p>
<p>The first generation was designed by Frank Stephenson not Hildebrand..</p>
<p>This is starting to sound like the old TV Programme “Logan’s Run” where everybody had to die at 30 years old. At 57 Gert has many more years of design left in him and more to offer – but this does not seem to matter anymore in the corporate world. And what of Frank Stephenson – they let him go earlier.
With the baby-boomer generation nearing retirement there are going to be a lot more experienced people sitting around twiddling their thumbs and driving MINIs thanks to Frank and Gert.</p>
<p>Did Gert design the R56? If so ADIOS DUDE and “tanks for nuttin”</p>
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<p>Did Gert design the R56? If so ADIOS DUDE and “tanks for nuttinâ€</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Gert was the head of desgn and not responsible for any particular car</p>
<p>I like how enthusiastic Gert was about the brand and his job. He seemed genuine and he has obviously been good for the brand considering how well it is doing. I hope the next head of design is as passionate about MINI as Gert.</p>
<p>Didn’t Frank Stephenson leave because Ferrari offered him a job in 2002? Kind of a hard offer to turn down. Anyway I like Gert, he has been good to the community, and this site. But truth be told, I won’t miss him that much. The most recent stuff has been a little stale, except for the coupe & roadster twins. The R56 wasn’t different enough, and the R60 is a little ugly. Hopefully the new guy is little more daring, and willing to push it further. Although, judging by BMW’s recent designs, I might be hoping for too much. They’re classy looking, but duller than the Bangle era stuff.</p>
<p>Come on everyone, though my feelings about the R60 are overstated I can still say that Gert is a really great guy, and that his time at MINI was a good thing overall. I had a chance to chat with him a couple of times and he always had a smile on his face and good will in his heart. I for one will miss the passion and intelligence he lead the Design division at MINI. Best greetings to you Gert and I hope that you know that you will be missed, I hope your moving on to greater things.</p>
<p>@Mills: You and I disagree if you really liked BMW’s Bangle era. I’ve liked BMWs styling from the late 70s all the way UP TO but not including the Bangle era… or now. Of course my friend and Japanese car afficionado really likes the newer BMWs: I rest my case.</p>
<p>As far as I’m concerned the words “Anders Warming who currently heads BMW exterior design” don’t bode well for MINI design, but I’ll reserve judgement.</p>
<p>Of course, this isn’t supposed to be a tear-down of what we don’t like. Cheers Gert! You had a great run, what’s next?</p>
<p>Good luck Mr. Hildebrand in your next endeavour at BMW! And with a change of design lead, looking forward to some more daring directions for the gen3 MINI (which of course would have been started already some time ago under Mr. Hildebrand).</p>
<p>Best Wishes Mr Hildebrand!</p>
<p>Thank you for your amazing dedication and openness to the community over the past 10 years. It’s not often that individuals of your position participate in an open dialogue with customers and fans. Your passion for the brand was visible to all and we wish you well.</p>
<p>We all hope that Mr Warming continues building on that great relationship you’ve had with the community over the years.</p>
<p>@Mills. Frank Stephenson left to join Fiat and Maserati and design the Fiat 500! Who was blocking his advancement at BMW? Gert? Bangle?
@jbkONE. I agree. Example – the E38, E39, E46,were the last of the pre-Bangle era. Now BMW are under threat from Audi who took the more conservative path.
@goat. Where did you get the idea that Gert is staying at BMW? Usually if you step down (or get pushed out) there is no place unless announced at the time. At 57, there isn’t much chance of a career improvement.</p>
<p>Finally, there’s an old saying about Football coaches which seems to be the same for designers – there are two types – those who have been sacked and those who are waiting to be sacked. …</p>
<p>What is obvious though, is no one is indispensable, and what is more astonishing is that the BMW empire just keeps on rolling along getting bigger and better.</p>
<p>A couple of corrections…</p>
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<p>@Mills. Frank Stephenson left to join Fiat and Maserati and design the Fiat 500!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The basic concept was designed before he was there. He led the refinement (with good results).</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Who was blocking his advancement at BMW? Gert? Bangle? @jbkONE.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>He didn’t get the design head job and left for a better opportunity.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I agree. Example – the E38, E39, E46,were the last of the pre-Bangle era.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Bangle oversaw the E46.</p>
<p>Did he walk or was he pushed after producing that abomination known as the Countryman</p>
<p>I will miss MF stories and interviews featuring Gert – one of my favorite personalities from my time following Mini.</p>
<p>Where next Gert?</p>
<p>“Did he walk or was he pushed after producing that abomination known as the Countryman”</p>
<p>That abomination is sold out in several markets across Europe until next April.</p>
<p>Thankyou Gert. I wish you the very best in your next endeavour.</p>
<p>Herr26, thanks for confirming that bad taste in vehicles just doesn’t effect us in the US, glad to know that it was a genetic gift from Europe ;). Another vehicle cross-dressed as a soft-roader. I think the R60 is heading to becoming the next fashion statement with the moms at my local football fields (soccer for the heathens out there 😉 ).</p>
<p>Gabe I hope you will share where Gert is headed to next, can’t wait to see what else he has up his sleeves still in the design world. All I know is that some company is getting some of the best from MINI. Always great but rather sad to see people like Frank and Gert leaving MINI.</p>
<p>@gregW – Sorry that was actually something I thought I had backspaced out as, no, i don’t know if Mr. Hildebrand is staying with BMW or moving elsewhere (and Gabe has not told us – yet). iPhone got ahead of me…</p>
<p>@JonPD – too true about bad taste being universal… 🙂 But at least most of the EU market R60’s will be specced with a manual gearbox! (I hope!)</p>
<p>I never was the admirer of creativity of Hildebrand. I consider that it has simply received very good inheritance from Stephenson and not too skillfully of it has disposed.</p>