Bangle Out at BMW
 

Depending on whom you talk to, Christopher E. Bangle, head of BMW Group design, is either a forward thinker or a reckless design agitator. BMW announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying that the reason he quit was to pursue other interests in design outside the automotive field.

“Christopher Bangle has had a lasting impact on the identity of BMW Group’s brands,” said Dr. Klaus Draeger, a board member of the BMW Group. “His contribution to the company’s success has been decisive, and together with his teams he has mapped out a clear and aesthetic route into the future.”

Mr. Bangle, 52, might be best known for his controversial redesign of the BMW 7 Series earlier in the decade, but he and his team were also responsible for the BMW roadsters Z3 and Z4 and the S.U.V.’s that have broadened the appeal of the brand over the last decade. He also oversaw developments of the new Mini and Rolls-Royce models and motorcycle concepts.

Adrian van Hooydonk, the head of BMW automobile design, will take over the position.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/controversial-bmw-designer-quits/?hp

Hip hip hooray!
 

Maybe now BMW will get back to their classic design look. The ugliest things on the road were those Bangle-Bastard-Bustle trunk abominations!

Yeah, good riddance!

The new 7 series is not a bad looking car, better than the new S class and much copied by other manufactures. Wandering what Adrian van Hooydonk will do, I met him a couple of times when he was still head of BMW design in Los Angeles, he designed the Z9.

I don't think the 7 series looked bad at all. With BMW's wide product offering it's not so dramatic as if Porsche were to completely redesign the 911. Conservative design is for Jaguars and Buicks.

I think cars need transformation from time to time otherwise you'd end up with Cadillacs which look like a heap of elephant poop shaped with a spade.

Hey, you think BMW discovered Bangle wasn't paying his nanny taxes??????????

IMO, the previous 7 series looked ok. The proportions on the back were a bit odd at first, but after a while it looked good.

Whether you like them or not, design chiefs rarely take what was done before and stick to it. When Bruno Sacco introduced "diamond cut" styling when he took over as Mercedes design head, there was lots of grumbling from what many now consider "classic designs."

paraphrasing what Robert Vaughn said in Bullitt:
 

"I would love to personally officiate at his public crucifixion..."

Bangle changed the face of cars - some say for the better, some say for the worst. I can't imagine he's quitting entirely, so I bet he got a very good offer somewhere. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

BMW's should evolve, but they should always look like BMW's The latest designs look like Hyundais except that Hyundai pulls it off better. I also agree that the new S Class should be taken to a deep pit and shoved in... BMW and Mercedes should be looking towards their classic designs for cues, not to video games...

The crack about Cadillac is also dead on:D

No, Hyundai's look like BMW's...Like it or not but Christopher E. Bangle is the most influential car designer of this time. All manufactures took design cues from the 7 series.

A sleek machine
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1568/bmw750ilqk1.jpg



and a.....



big ugly fat fellow....
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/949...ies2008wl2.jpg

Not all that is Bangle is bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_TMz9cf_aQ

The SLK can't hold a candle to that car in the looks department.

Really? That new Z4 looks terrible IMO. Small car with a HUGE mouth. The whole big manly angry grille thing is getting tiresome.