Chris Bangle

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Christopher Edward Bangle is an American automobile designer and the Chief of Design for BMW Group, responsible for the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce motor cars.

He was born on 14 October, 1956 in Ravenna, Ohio, and raised in Wausau, Wisconsin. After considering becoming a Methodist minister[1], Bangle attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California to pursue his automobile designer career.

Bangle started his career at Opel. The first work that he designed is the interior of the Junior concept car. He later moved to Fiat and worked as a chief designer of the Fiat Coupe.

He became the first American chief of design of BMW in 1992, where he designed the Z9 Gran Turismo concept car and the well-known E65 7-series. His styling themes marked controversial to the transportation design's world. Since then, Bangle and his designs have had a polarizing effect.

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[edit] Design characteristics

Bangle's designs are incorporated in the entire BMW lineup, including the 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 series as well as the X5 SUV. The designs have caused widespread controversy and have divided BMW enthusiasts who either love them or hate them. His designs have also influenced other car makers.

Bangle-butt has since been a mildly derogatory term for the current rear-end styling paradigm among automobiles. While all his designs have been the subject of heated debate, the most discussed and imitated is his two-level rear end styling. It features separate rear fenders with a "bustle-back" trunk (boot) lid. However, it may not have been initially designed by Bangle himself. In 1997, the Mercedes-Benz Maybach Concept (which later became the production Maybach in 2002) featured a rear boot design inspired by classic automobiles' proportions. This design of the exposed boot lid is similar to the aforementioned "bangle butt". However, the Bangle "butt" is more angular and pronounced, while the Mercedes' (Maybach and S-Class) are more classical and resembles a traditional boot. By 1999, various Hyundai automobiles featured the "Bangle-butt", and the Volvo S80 featured a milder form of the design.

Bangle aggressively defended his designs against criticism. He was supported by the BMW board of directors, which wanted to move BMW's image into the future. He said it was necessary for product lines to follow a cycle of a revolutionary generation followed by an evolutionary generation followed by another revolutionary generation and so on. Indeed, he oversaw the conservative evolution of BMW designs with the redesign of the BMW 3-Series BMW E46 and the introduction of the BMW X5. For Bangle this marked the end of the evolution of BMW design and the revolution was witnessed with the 2002 introduction of the BMW E65. Bangle acknowledges that his designs do not look good in photographs, suggesting to critics that they should see the cars in real life before judging them on their looks.

[edit] Peer comments

  • J Mays, Ford's chief creative officer, dislikes Bangle's designs, but admits Bangle has been significant in reshaping modern cars.[1]
  • Marc Newson, an industrial designer and car enthusiast, described Bangle's BMW Z4 as having been designed with a machete.[2]
  • Patrick le Quément, chief designer at Renault, said: "[Bangle is] certainly the most talked about designer. His designs have a great deal of presence, and they're well proportioned. He's been highly influential. My only concern is his use of concave surfaces: they're hollow shapes and lack that tightly muscled look I feel helps design."[1]
  • Martin Smith, head of design for Ford of Europe, describes Bangle as an instigator of the trend toward "surface entertainment" in cars; the Ford Iosis bears some resemblance to Bangle-styled BMWs.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Interview: Chris Bangle, BMW's Design Chief, page 1. Motor Trend. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
  2. ^ Interview: Chris Bangle, BMW's Design Chief, page 3. Motor Trend. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.

[edit] External links