[SCA]

Shoplifted from another site.


BMW's Chief Designer
Enjoys Newfound Respect

Bangle's Curvy Style, Initially Slammed
By Critics, Fuels Trend
By NEAL E. BOUDETTE
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
January 12, 2006; Page D4

DETROIT – Trashed by critics just a few years ago, BMW AG chief designer Chris Bangle is experiencing a pleasant reversal of fortune at this week's Detroit auto show.

Mr. Bangle, a 49-year-old American, was pummeled by BMW fans and auto journalists after the German car maker restyled its flagship 7 Series sedan in 2001 with sculpted curves and contours. The car's bulbous trunk was ridiculed as the "Bangle butt," and thousands signed an Internet petition imploring BMW to "Stop Chris Bangle."

But at this year's North American International Auto Show, designs resembling Mr. Bangle's work are cropping up in cars from several BMW rivals, including Toyota Motor Corp.'s new Camry and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class from DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes division, both of which sport raised trunks.

"Suddenly, everyone is trying to do the kind of styling for which the auto journalists criticized the BMW group so loudly," BMW Chief Executive Helmut Panke crowed at a dinner with reporters here. "You look at the Camry rear end and you see another 7 Series. It is not the 'Bangle butt' anymore."

The new LS 460 from Toyota's Lexus brand also has a profile that almost exactly follows that of the 7 Series, while models from Nissan Motor Co.'s Inifiniti brand have moved to a modernist styling.

In an interview, Mr. Bangle said he is pleased BMW's work is being emulated, but, "I don't dwell on these issues," he said. "In this business, you don't spend a lot of time looking in the mirror. You try to figure out what curve is coming up."

With other car makers following the course Mr. Bangle set, some of his critics are starting to come around, especially now that the new 3 Series sedan has been launched to favorable reviews. The car, which is BMW's top-selling model and was redesigned last year, has a look related to that of the 7 Series, but with less-curvaceous headlights and taillights and fewer sharp creases and contours.

For some customers, the toned-down, modernist look of the 3 Series and the fact that more and more cars are adopting similar designs have made Mr. Bangle's work less jarring.

"The new 3 Series has actually tempered some of my animosity toward Mr. Bangle," said Tony Yokam, a software salesman in California. "He's done a really good job there." This year, he traded in a BMW 5 Series for a Carrera S from Porsche AG, in part because he didn't like Mr. Bangle's new 5 Series.

But Mr. Yokam said the 5 Series is growing on him now that more and more cars from Infiniti, Lexus and other brands are hitting the road with similar styling.

Educated at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Mr. Bangle worked at Fiat SpA before being named BMW's first non-German head of design, in 1992. His overhaul of BMW's look was part of a bid by the company to accelerate growth after a management shake-up in the late 1990s.

BMW hoped more modern and differentiated designs would pull in younger buyers, but the criticism overshadowed the cars.

For the first few years Mr. Bangle's cars were on the market, it was unclear whether the redesign was working. BMW's sales soared, but largely because it added new models. In the U.S., sales of the 7 Series declined after a good first year.

But last year, BMW tweaked the 7 Series look, and the model's U.S. sales rose 12% to 18,165 cars, according to Autodata Corp. Last year, with the new 3 Series earning favorable reviews, BMW reported its best year in the U.S.

[espo]

Another clear example of how "critics" are not the ones to dictate style, The people who "vote" with there money are. A mark of a true revolutionary idea is definately not what the "critics" first say, but how many people try in the end to emulate the design as it become stardard in the industry. That's the point in time in which the true genus of the initial concept is understood.

BTW I've always liked the look of the new 3 series from the outside. But the more I see of it (and get into it every morning) the more it grows on me. As I see more and more cars emulate the same styling, I know I own the original and thats good!!

[fredtoo]

This is typical of cutting edge design. If the design is evolutionary, it is usually accepted, but look stale after a short period of time.
Revolutionary design is typically scorned at first, but then grows on people. The Ducati 916 - 999 is another example of this.

[finallybuying]

Originally Posted by SCA

For some customers, the toned-down, modernist look of the 3 Series and the fact that more and more cars are adopting similar designs have made Mr. Bangle's work less jarring.

"The new 3 Series has actually tempered some of my animosity toward Mr. Bangle," said Tony Yokam, a software salesman in California. "He's done a really good job there." This year, he traded in a BMW 5 Series for a Carrera S from Porsche AG, in part because he didn't like Mr. Bangle's new 5 Series.

I could swear I saw another post here (or on Bimmerfest) recently that said Bangle didn't design the 3-Series. It struck me as being weird that he wouldn't have..... (After searching I can't find that post.) Did he? or didn't he?

[SCA]

Originally Posted by finallybuying

I could swear I saw another post here (or on Bimmerfest) recently that said Bangle didn't design the 3-Series. It struck me as being weird that he wouldn't have..... (After searching I can't find that post.) Did he? or didn't he?

He did not. I can not remember the guys name, but he also penned the E39 5-Series.

[325Driver]

Originally Posted by SCA

He did not. I can not remember the guys name, but he also penned the E39 5-Series.

Adrian Van Hooydonk I believe is the person you are speaking of.

[jocamryn]

Maybe I'm just being narrowminded, but I feel that a BMW, should be built and designed...BY Germans.

I like the new look though.

[Tine]

We're talking about Joji Nagashima.

Beside E90 he also penned E36 3er, Z3, E39 5er.

Hooydonk penned E63/4 6er and E65/6 7er.

Bangle penned nothing! He was the design boss from the begining: leading & supervising the design processes, choosing design proposals, presenting chosen designes to the CEO board.

He is the man behind new BMW design philosophy, but hasn't penned any of the cars by himself.

Btw, none of the current BMWs have been penned by a German!!!

[poldim]

Originally Posted by jocamryn

Maybe I'm just being narrowminded, but I feel that a BMW, should be built and designed...BY Germans.

I like the new look though.

Wake up....

[BMW0]

Originally Posted by Tine

We're talking about Joji Nagashima.

Beside E90 he also penned E36 3er, Z3, E39 5er.

Hooydonk penned E63/4 6er and E65/6 7er.

Thats right, its Joji Nagashima that designed our rides (E90).

[e90driver]

Now I feel left out... Why didn't we get a Bangle Butt on our e90's. Maybe we will have the option to add it aftermarket.

[Bimmerista]

Interesting read all around. I remember when the 7 Series and Z4 came out, ALL the forums were unanimous and vociferous in their damnation.

How things change.....

[SCA]

Originally Posted by Bimmerista

Interesting read all around. I remember when the 7 Series and Z4 came out, ALL the forums were unanimous and vociferous in their damnation.

How things change.....

The 7 has grown on me and I really like the face-lift. I'm not fond of the 5-Series or the Z4.

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by poldim

Wake up....

+1

[voltron1011]

The thing about Bangle cars is that they don't photograph well.... When you see them on the road in motion, or parked somewhere, that's when you say, "Damn, that's a good looking car!"

Initially, I hated the new 5 series... Just could not even look at it... Now it is gorgeous to me... Especially the M5!!!

[db17k]

Originally Posted by poldim

Wake up....

+2

[shragon]

joji is the man!

[Petercat]

Bangle is a design genius... I know it's not a popular stance, but it is slowly coming to light that his design teams have created an automotive design revolution.
Yes, I too can admit that the butt was a little wierd and looked pasted on at first, but I now think that all the lines work together. I remember when the first Bangle 7 came out,I thought it was striking and now with the updated look it's even sharper.
The public is showing that his work is what people want. Imitation is flatery.

[soj]

Great...another complete BMW owner circle jerk. Am I the only one who thinks the 5 and 7 series are the fugliest cars on the street? Those things are so damn hideous, I'd be embarassed to be driving one.

[ben1364]

Did y'all note that the defense of Chris Bangle in the WSJ article was from his boss, Helmut Panke? LOL

[ksfrogman]

Originally Posted by BMW0

Thats right, its Joji Nagashima that designed our rides (E90).

Here's the link to the best explanation:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...highlight=Joji

I believe people give way too much credit (negative or positive) to Chris Bangle, not realizing that others have contributed their design talents.

I also doubt that designers sit at the "drawing board" with a palette of opinion polls to direct their artistic strokes. They are artists, not politicians.

Bangle made a comment during one of his previous interviews that I in large part agreed with. It does take time for others to get accustomed to dramatic design change. We are creatures of habit and tradition. IMHO, when a new design retains general design elements of the design it replaces, the product recognition helps tout it as a derivative from a proud lineage of predecessors. The Porsche 911 is a wonderful example, and an iconic symbol of excellence.

Ironically, dramatic styling departures, such as the coffin trunk of the outgoing 7-series, initially despised with contemptuous scorn become distinctive design elements that others try to emulate. Having the roundel and BMW name associated with it doesn't hurt either.

[gr8sho]

Originally Posted by jocamryn

Maybe I'm just being narrowminded, but I feel that a BMW, should be built and designed...BY Germans.

I like the new look though.

The DVD that BMW mails you talk at some length about the design process BMW employs. It talks about the Southern California idea farm and how some of those ideas find their way to the production line but it ultimately struck me that Munich clearly decides what to build. It is to their credit though that they sollicit ideas from the rest of the world.

If the opportunity ever presented itself to buy a 550i, it would be a no-brainer.