Shock: Bangle quits BMW

As (in)famous BMW designer Chris Bangle quits, Vijay Pattni rounds up his roll-call of car designs at the German giant…

Like him or loathe him, this man – literally – changed the face of BMW.

Yes, Mr Christopher Bangle (pictured right), the man whose radical designs split opinion across the globe, has stepped down from his position as BMW Group’s head of design.

Newbie?

Many believe Bangle (pictured right) to have been a relative newcomer – a young upstart who took BMW in new directions. But few realise he has actually been BMW Group’s head of design since October 1992.

Bangle, now aged 52, was born in the USA and studied at the University of Wisconsin and the Art Centre College of Design in Pasadena, before moving on to a job with Adam Opel (the German version of Vauxhall) in Russelsheim.

In 1985 Bangle left Opel and joined Fiat, where he became director of the Fiat Centro Stile in 1992. After a short spell as director, Bangle left Fiat – and Italy – and journeyed to Munich, where he would carve out a name for himself…

In fact, BMW AG’s board member for development, Dr Klaus Draeger, noted just how much of a name, when he said “Christopher Bangle has had a lasting impact on the identity of BMW Group’s brands” and that “his contribution to the company’s success has been decisive.”

“Together with his teams he has mapped out a clear and aesthetic route into the future”, Dr Klaus added.

Fire-starter

Indeed. Evidence of Bangle’s unique ‘flame-surfacing’ styling can be found on practically every single BMW made in the last six years, starting with the 2002 BMW 7 Series, the BMW 5 Series, and the new BMW X6.

Nowhere is it more evident than with the BMW Z4, which is one of the company’s most successful – and lauded – roadsters ever built.

But his designs stretch even further – he has helped in other areas of the BMW stable, including Mini and Rolls Royce.

And for those hoping his stepping-down will signal a new design direction for Beemer, think again, because Chris Bangle’s successor as head of design – Adrian van Hooydonk – has been his “right-hand-man” since the start of his BMW career.

The son becomes the father

In fact, Bangle was quoted as saying van Hooydonk (pictured right) is “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.”

So is Bangle’s BMW design ethos really that bad? We loved the sharp, angular looks of the Z4, the radical design of the BMW 5 Series – which still manages to look fresh today – and the hulking behemoth that is the X6.

And this month, BMW reported it had boosted sales of its fabled ‘M’ cars by a whopping 50 per cent – in 2008, the company sold 24,186 BMW M carsthe majority of which were BMW M3s, scoring the “second best result in the company’s thirty year history”. And these M cars are based on designs originally penned by Chris and his team.

We’ve rounded up Bangle’s BMWs - see if you agree...

What do you think of Chris Bangle's BMWs?

Check out the visionary BMW GINA concept in action: