Bangle era ends at BMW

BMW Group head of design Chris Bangle has left the company – and the automotive industry – to “pursue his own design-related endeavours” and restore his home in Tuscany, Italy.

After more than 16 years as BMW’s design chief, he has handed the reins to his long-serving deputy Adrian van Hooydonk, who has been director of BMW Automobile Design since 2004.

Mr Bangle, 52, was arguably the highest-profile designer in the car world, and certainly the most controversial, but his departure came unexpectedly and without even a word of explanation from the man himself in BMW’s official statement issued this morning.

The American-born designer wore plenty of criticism over BMW’s design direction over the past decade, but he helped the Bavarian company to unprecedented market success while also influencing other brands.



He will forever be remembered for his “flame surfacing” design language, which can be seen in every current BMW model, and the 2001 introduction of the E65 7 Series with its divisive duck tail – forever known as the ‘Bangle butt’.

As well as overseeing the entire current BMW model range, Mr Bangle was also responsible for the new Mini and Rolls-Royce models as well as BMW motorcycles.

He also played a hand in creating BMW Group Designworks USA in California, which was headed for four years by Mr van Hooydonk and does design work for numerous brands in a variety of industries.

BMW said Mr Bangle’s plan “to pursue his own design-related endeavours beyond the auto industry marks the start of a new phase in his life while maintaining strong ties with the BMW Group”.

The announcement of Mr Bangle’s departure was left to BMW AG board member for development Klaus Draeger, who said Mr Bangle had had a lasting impact on BMW’s identity.

“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,” said Dr Draeger.

He said that Mr Bangle had “a special aptitude for working with his teams to strengthen the identities and unmistakable images of the BMW Group’s brands and to inspire design innovations”.

Dr Draeger described 44-year-old Mr van Hooydonk as “a man who shares Bangle’s fascination for technology and aesthetics, tradition and innovation” and said he would be “in a position to continue to build on a design philosophy, which extends across the BMW Group’s brands”.

Born in the Netherlands, Mr van Hooydonk studied at Delft Polytechnic University in Holland and later at the Art Center Europ in Vevey, Switzerland.

He joined BMW as a designer in 1992 – the same year that Mr Bangle moved to Munich after seven years at Fiat – and in 2000 moved to Designworks USA, where he remained as director until 2004, returning to Munich as head of the Brand Design Studio for BMW Automobiles.

Mr van Hooydonk described his former boss as “truly a top professional in our business”.

“I am sure that the many strong design strategies he has helped us create for the BMW Group will continue to develop and evolve,” he said.

“I am honoured and extremely excited to take on this new responsibility.

“BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce produce the best cars and motorcycles in their segment and I am really looking forward to being able to contribute to the future development of these brands.

“I have no doubt that there are challenges ahead, but BMW’s depth in engineering and the passion of its talented design team are as strong as ever. Together, I am sure we will be able to create some very sophisticated and extremely attractive concepts.”BMW says the 6 Series and 7 Series lines clearly bear the hallmark of van Hooydonk’s design influence, as do the Z9 Concept Car, the BMW Concept CS (unveiled in 2007) and the M1 Hommage Study that will star at the Melbourne motor show next month.

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