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Regardless of years of on-line criticism, BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk says the German automaker has no regrets about it outgoing design language that was punctuated by ever-growing double-kidney grilles, insisting the controversial front-end designs have helped gross sales somewhat than harm them.
In a roundtable dialogue on the launch of the corporate’s first Neue Klasse mannequin, the 2026 BMW iX3, Mr van Hooydonk pushed again on recommendations BMW had gone “too radical” with its newest design path, particularly in relation to the scale of the grille.
“No, as a result of it is determined by the place you might be on the earth. In sure areas on the earth, like China, it’s good; individuals are nonetheless asking for large grilles. So that is type of the tough scenario that you just’re in as a world model,” he stated.
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Mr van Hooydonk pushed again on recommendations BMW had gone “too radical” with its newest design path, particularly in relation to the scale of the grille. He confirmed BMW will proceed to supply a wide range of grille styles and sizes, relying on the mannequin and market, stating that the Bavarian model’s double-kidney grille stays a key a part of its id, alongside lighting designs.
“It has all the time been one thing that’s a part of our model id, but in addition it’s one thing along with the sunshine signature that we’re going to use to distinguish in between our fashions.”
Whereas some critics have usually accused BMW of shedding its design restraint, van Hooydonk stated the loudest voices haven’t been these of consumers.
“There was no backlash from clients. Certainly, in fact, we took be aware of all of the destructive feedback, however we by no means noticed it within the gross sales figures. Really, fairly the other. So in a roundabout way or type, we didn’t really feel that we needed to react.”
As an alternative, he argued BMW’s outsized grille coverage is not only an aesthetic selection but in addition a useful answer to fashionable challenges like packaging autonomous driving sensors. Pointing to the considerably revised grille of the brand new iX3, Mr van Hooydonk stated the additional necessities for sensors had performed a significant function within the new small electrical SUV’s frontal design.
“On a automotive [like the iX3]… we felt that this dimension of grille really matches fairly properly. Additionally integrated on this front-end are extra sensors than ever earlier than. After all, our vehicles have gotten increasingly clever. They will drive additional autonomously. And so one of many questions that we needed to clear up in our design is incorporate these sensors,” he stated.
“They’re all on this front-end, however you don’t see them. And that was really additionally part of the the reason why the grille needed to turn into extremely useful, as it’s useful.”
Requested whether or not Chinese language demand for daring and imposing designs is altering now that native manufacturers are experimenting with cleaner, closed-off front-end designs, Mr van Hooydonk stated BMW gained’t merely comply with traits.
“We at BMW are likely to all the time plot our personal course, we all the time have, and up to now that has labored properly for us. So now we have studios all around the world. We’ve got a design studio in Shanghai, now we have one in Los Angeles, one in Goodwood, England, after which in fact a somewhat massive studio in Munich. We’ve got a really worldwide group.”
He identified that many Chinese language auto manufacturers depend on European design expertise anyway.
“All the things you see on the street now was designed three years in the past. And fairly frankly, many of the Chinese language vehicles that you just see on the street in China have been designed in Munich, as a result of most of those automotive firms have arrange a design studio, employed a designer from us. So it’s design that we perceive very properly.”
Nonetheless, he stated the corporate sees now as a second to take larger dangers, somewhat than retreat to protected design.
“We imagine that we have to set our personal course, and from time to time you must take a much bigger step. And we imagine that point is now [with the Neue Klasse]. We imagine now the danger of not altering sufficient can be far larger than altering an excessive amount of. And up to now, that has all the time served us properly.”
BMW’s method with the Neue Klasse design language would counsel that the times of the very massive grilles are over, at the least to some extent. For some future BMW fashions, nevertheless, that might nonetheless imply front-end designs that stay daring and extremely useful as the corporate prioritises packaging sensors and expertise.
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