BMW cleaning up its design Styling reboot will bring fewer lines and buttons DETROIT — After criticism that the look of its vehicles hasn't changed enough, BMW aims to usher in a new chapter of design with six vehicles set to debut in 2018. The new direction debuts with the X2 coupe-styled crossover shown this month at the Detroit auto show and going on sale in the U.S. this spring, said Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice president of design for BMW Group. Van Hooydonk: “We’re going to clean things up; we’re going to use fewer lines; the lines that we’ll have will be sharper and more precise.” "We're going to clean things up; we're going to use fewer lines; the lines that we'll have will be sharper and more precise," van Hooydonk told Automotive News. "On the interior, we're going to have fewer buttons — the cars will begin to show their intelligence, so you have to give it less input." With the changes, BMW designers will pull each car further from "its next of kin" in the model lineup, he said. "You'll find the cars will become stronger in character and separated more from one another." The signature kidney grille remains, it's just been flipped over. In addition to the X2, the other vehicles on van Hooydonk's list are the redesigned X4 and X5 crossovers, the new 8-series coupe, the redesigned 3-series sedan and the new X7 large SUV. While the X7 isn't slated to go on sale in the U.S. until early 2019, BMW will unveil the production version and start assembling it this year. Differentiation is a clear goal. Some BMW critics have said consumer consideration for the brand's vehicles has suffered in part because of staid redesigns that failed to overhaul a vehicle's looks significantly. "Or maybe you could say the competition changed more than we did," van Hooydonk said. Image Unavailable, Please Login Content From ZF Interconnected for greater road safety Helps to prevent wrong-way driving and provides a driver distraction assistant: With its new concept vehicle, ZF shows how intelligently networked systems can contribute to a world with zero accidents. Read more > Expect a lot of experimentation and differentiation in the headlamp and grille arrangement. BMW in the past aimed to alternate bigger changes with smaller changes when it redesigned a model, he said. That meant every second model generation stood out more. "In the world that we live in now, that's not enough," van Hooydonk said. "There is more competition now. The world has changed. It's faster pace. So our design needs to change faster as well." Van Hooydonk's team plans to introduce something new and modern to the brand with each new or redesigned vehicle that comes out. The X2, for example, carries BMW's signature kidney grill, but it's been flipped over. The grille and headlamp arrangement is one area where more differentiation among vehicles will happen, van Hooydonk said. The side view breaks mold with the X4 and X6. Note the roundel logo embedded in the C-pillar. The X2's side view breaks the mold created with the larger X4 and X6 coupe-styled crossovers, he said. One difference: the BMW roundel logo embedded in the C pillar. It brings back a styling move seen on vehicles such as the E9 3.0 CS back in the '70s. "But we're doing it only on X2, by the way," van Hooydonk said, "because we wanted it as something for people to recognize this car by in traffic." His team will show more examples in the redesigned X4 and X5, expected to be out later this year. The 8 series, which has been seen only in concept form, will be another big contributor to the new design approach. "Everything that comes out from now going forward will play a big role," van Hooydonk said. "The 8 series is going to combine all of these elements in a very new shape." You can reach Amy Wilson at [email protected] -- Follow Amy on Twitter: @theamywilson It sounds like the industry is FINALLY going to simplify and clean up their overwrought complicated design themes. Mercedes started the trend and now BMW isn't far behind. Hallelujah!
Customer input?..........we don't need no stinking customer input... Image Unavailable, Please Login Daimler's Wagener just says no to consumer input design chief Gorden Wagener is no fan of product clinics. "You can only ask the people: What do you like today, and what do you think today?" Wagener said. "But I think it's a mistake to ask them what would you like tomorrow — because it's our job to determine that, and I think they don't know." Wagener: What about tomorrow? Wagener avoided asking customers what they wanted in a redesign of the iconic Mercedes-Benz G-class SUV, which was shown this month at the Detroit auto show. Though Mercedes ended up sticking with the G's iconic boxy shape, the decision was made because the automaker's designers and executives knew what was right for the brand and the product, he said. "American companies, they put on a lot of clinics, and I think that's wrong," Wagener said. "You will not end up with very innovative solutions. Because when people like it today, it's not innovative enough that they like it tomorrow." With that, Wagener sums up the reasoning behind his design motto: "If you like it, we take a line off. If you still like it, take another line off. Then the proportion comes out at its best." Contact Automotive News
He either lifted that from Steve Jobs or came up with the same thought independently. I'm agnostic as to the absolute truth of it, but it's at least partly true.
Believe it or not that predates Steve Jobs by a wide margin. F. Loyd Wright said something to that effect as well as GM Design VP 1927-1959, Harley Earl. Several artists have expressed the same sentiments. Henry Ford the First said if he had asked the customer what they wanted, they would have responded 'a faster horse'
So true. Clinics get the future by way of the rear view mirror instead of out the windshield. But the number crunchers love to get data so they can have numerical values to prove something. The gutless, spineless get a report to CYA.
By clinics do you mean focus groups? If so, we found focus groups to be beyond worthless. Your opinion doesn't mean squat unless you back it up with a check.
That's the one. It seems to photograph well, but it looks odd on the road - particularly when viewing it from a higher car like a Ford F350 Dually. All the best, Andrew.
I gotta tell ya, as boxy SUV’s go, I don’t mind it. Has a ‘tailored’ look to it. Upright & formal, not unlike the G Wagon.
Focus Group = CYA to compensate for a lack of conviction. JOHN: From your times of attending focus groups how often did you learn anything that changed your thinking?
I had the opportunity to attend a myriad number of 'focus groups/clinics' in my career. More often than not they drove me crazy. I wanted to know more about the customer and his/her habits RATHER than did they like this front end or that front end As a Chief Designer, often times part of your performance was tied to clinic results. We used to dread them. We never did 'clinic' the CTS Coupe, per B. Lutz/R. Wagoner's instructions My inclination was to use the clinic results as a general direction, NOT a specific guide to change 'this or that'. 'I don't like that grille, I like that taillight', etc. While we couldn't ignore the focus group results........we used it as a 'big picture' guide. 'Tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it......don't tell me how to fix it.' It comes down to 'reach' vs. appeal: is it far out enough? Is it appealing? Neither? Both? an alternative to the focus group approach was riding around with customers asking them all manner of questions. I got more out of those experienced than I ever got from a focus group/clinic
What kinds of questions did you ask customers and what sorts of replies were most valuable? All the best, Andrew.
Was there a significant difference in clinics pre-Lutz and after he was there? In his book he talked of having to fight for the raw data since the information had been so massaged that bad was being reported as positive responses. John, you have also in the past mentioned that there were occasions when an M-B badge was added to a car and the score went up.
One of my favorite questions was : 'do you eat/drink in your car? Where do you put it?' What kind of car do you drive ? We'd be in their car. 'Why did you buy it?' Do you believe you are what you drive? What don't you like about your car? What do you like about your car? The whole idea was to get them to open up about their purchase beliefs, habits and reasons. Lifestyles were also important questions.
There wasn't an earthshaking difference in clinics pre/post Lutz. He was more understanding of poor 'grades' than prior.If he believed in the design team and the design direction, he was more flexible than some of his predecessors. He fancied himself as a designer, and he would admit to that, but at least he had a passion and an understanding of the importance of design. Sometimes we would badge the cars with BMW or MB badges and the scores would go up Customers can be fickle.
I would not use fickle in that case. I would see that as more like the process was flawed. If they complained about a design or feature when it was a GM but either over looked it or found it desirable when a non-GM car then it says, to me, that non-Design has a problem that Design can't fix.
Re: Focus Groups Tom Peters' Successful Business' Dozen Truths #9 Willingness to lead the customer and take the heat associated therewith. (Mantra: Satan invented focus groups to derail true believers.) -F
If anyone ever suggests a focus group I remind them that it was focus groups that gave is the voiceover and happy ending for Blade Runner. It took them 25 years to correct that little adventure.
