BREAKING: Chris Bangle quits BMW and the auto industry

Posted: Feb 03, 2009
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BMW Group’s (meaning BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce) design head Chris Bangle has quit his job at the German automaker. The decision to quit comes down as Bangle wants more time “to pursue his own design-related endeavors beyond the auto industry.”

He leaves his spot in good hands with Adrian van Hooydonk, head of design for the BMW brand.

“Christopher Bangle has had a lasting impact on the identity of BMW Group’s brands. His contribution to the company’s success has been decisive,” said Klaus Draeger, BMW’s development chief, in a press release.

Bangle, 52, joined the German automaker in 1992. Bangle and his team designed the current 3-Series, 5-Series and 7-Series along with the Z3, X6, X5, X3 and the concept X1.

Draeger said that Bangle had mapped out a clear design philosophy for BMW which van Hooydonk will continue.


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  • Kabluey

    HALLELUJAH! lol

  • Minilla

    Good. Before I was even interested in cars I noticed that the new BMWs looked horrible compared to the classic luxury look of the previous generation … then I eventually learned of the nambe Bangle. The new Mercedes look sharp & I hope BMW hires someone that can compete w/ that.

  • Pat

    The Bangle butt is no more… why are we happy to see him go?

  • Ivan Gutierrez

    Call me crazy but I actually liked Bangle's designs, like the 3 series, X6 and umm… oh yeah that's it.

  • zermatt

    As the owner of a couple of current and past Bangle inspired BMWs I like the cars.

    Flame surfacing was disliked by critics, but the sales numbers tell the real story.

    It is also interesting to see the other manufacturers that have copied Bangle styling cues.

    I wish Chris well in his future endeavors and I look forward to the new styling direction of future BMWs.

  • Ivan Gutierrez

    I didn't hate his designs, but I sure as hell didn't love em either. I really like the 3 series and the X6. I never really liked the 7 series or X3. The 5 series and X5 are okay.

  • marc

    Auto/ Designer accuses BMW: they copied me. The Public Prosecutor’s office in Rome is investigating
    28-02-2009

  • marc

    Designer in battle against BMW for “Gina”

    COVERING SYSTEM CONTESTED: CASE FILED AGAINST THE GERMAN CARMAKERS AT THE ROME PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE.

    Source: Corriere della Sera 01/03/2009 – Michele Manno

    Rome
    It is certainly a strange case that has ended up on the desk of the Public Prosecutor in Rome.
    You could almost say that the two contestants are the present situation and the future.
    The present situation is represented by designer Giuseppe Bianco; the future by the well-known BMW car manufacturers.
    Why future? Because BMW recently won an award in Paris for the most beautiful “Concept Car of 2008”.
    The car has an unusual name: ”Gina”. And we know for a fact that, like Gina Lollobrigida and all other women, Gina loves elegant clothes. So much so that she has been called the “Light visionary model”.
    She is a car that we will never actually see on the road, like all “concept cars” which, by definition, propose new ideas destined to take shape on the roads of everyday life some time in the near future. The idea is in the composition of the car body, consisting principally of an elasticized fabric stretched over the frame which can be modified at the touch of a button, depending on the driver’s tastes. So it is a fabric to suit all occasions, from a simple meal in a pizzeria to a Gala evening in Monte Carlo. It is a kind of travelling haute couture wardrobe.
    But this is where the present, with its laws and regulations, impacts on “Gina’s” destiny. Fashion designer Giuseppe Bianco has initiated a case against BMW, alleging counterfeit and the violation of the industrial property law, claiming that it was he who, in 2005, invented the exclusive procedure by which it is possible to apply any type of covering (leather, fabric and technical materials) to the body of a car or motorbike, thus making “the coverings themselves impermeable and resistant to atmospheric agents”. Before turning to the justice system, in this case public prosecutor Marcello Monteleone, Giuseppe Bianco’s lawyers warned BMW not to continue any activities connected with the use of this process. But the car was still presented.
    Whatever the truth of the matter – and legal battles over patents are usually complex – perhaps one day we will hear the verdict. It is up to the judiciary to decide who is right and who is wrong: but for once the case does not concern murder, disputes or violence, but the future of a car; and the prosecution and defence have to make a decision about “Gina”.

  • marc

    Auto/ Designer accuses BMW: they copied me. The Public Prosecutor’s office in Rome is investigating
    28-02-2009

  • marc

    Designer in battle against BMW for “Gina”

    COVERING SYSTEM CONTESTED: CASE FILED AGAINST THE GERMAN CARMAKERS AT THE ROME PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE.

    Source: Corriere della Sera 01/03/2009 – Michele Manno

    Rome
    It is certainly a strange case that has ended up on the desk of the Public Prosecutor in Rome.
    You could almost say that the two contestants are the present situation and the future.
    The present situation is represented by designer Giuseppe Bianco; the future by the well-known BMW car manufacturers.
    Why future? Because BMW recently won an award in Paris for the most beautiful “Concept Car of 2008”.
    The car has an unusual name: ”Gina”. And we know for a fact that, like Gina Lollobrigida and all other women, Gina loves elegant clothes. So much so that she has been called the “Light visionary model”.
    She is a car that we will never actually see on the road, like all “concept cars” which, by definition, propose new ideas destined to take shape on the roads of everyday life some time in the near future. The idea is in the composition of the car body, consisting principally of an elasticized fabric stretched over the frame which can be modified at the touch of a button, depending on the driver’s tastes. So it is a fabric to suit all occasions, from a simple meal in a pizzeria to a Gala evening in Monte Carlo. It is a kind of travelling haute couture wardrobe.
    But this is where the present, with its laws and regulations, impacts on “Gina’s” destiny. Fashion designer Giuseppe Bianco has initiated a case against BMW, alleging counterfeit and the violation of the industrial property law, claiming that it was he who, in 2005, invented the exclusive procedure by which it is possible to apply any type of covering (leather, fabric and technical materials) to the body of a car or motorbike, thus making “the coverings themselves impermeable and resistant to atmospheric agents”. Before turning to the justice system, in this case public prosecutor Marcello Monteleone, Giuseppe Bianco’s lawyers warned BMW not to continue any activities connected with the use of this process. But the car was still presented.
    Whatever the truth of the matter – and legal battles over patents are usually complex – perhaps one day we will hear the verdict. It is up to the judiciary to decide who is right and who is wrong: but for once the case does not concern murder, disputes or violence, but the future of a car; and the prosecution and defence have to make a decision about “Gina”.