BMW had a problem on its hands.
Chris Bangle had been a designer for the German automaker since 1992. During those years he rose to a more prominent position and ultimately, head of design. Bangle is infamous for the dreaded "
bangle butt" of the 7 Series sedan released in 2001. Personally, I didn't mind the 7 series too much. In fact, it was far less polarizing than the even more prominent and hideous trunk of the
6 series coupe. The problem was simply that the 7 series was BMW's flagship sedan. Later the BMW 5 series took on some terrible lines in its skin as well as the
Z4. I think during that decade, the Z4 was my least favorite.
Chris Bangle left BMW in February of 2009. So why do I bring this up 4 years later? BMW announced the
2014 X5 SUV on the 30th of May. The new X5 is an evolution of BMW's current design concept. I don't think the new X5 is ugly. In fact, it is the best looking SUV in BMW's lineup. My question is, where does BMW design go next? Have they cornered themselves into a current design language that leaves very little room for interesting progression? Who knows, if BMW stays true to the design of the concept
4 Series, I could be swayed.
