Mention Chris Bangle’s name in car-aficionado circles and you are unlikely to get a neutral response. In 15 years at BMW, the Munich carmaker’s US-born head of design has overseen the creation of some of the industry’s most admired and imitated, if controversial, cars.
During that time BMW has become the world’s top premium car brand, selling 1.4m units a year – more than Mercedes, Lexus or Audi. Mr Bangle’s name is most often associated with “flame surfacing”, the distinctive convex/concave styling on the sides of the automaker’s 1 Series, 3 Series and Z4 sports car that brought eye-catching curves to a hitherto neglected part of the car.
But car buffs are split between those who love the design language developed on his watch and those who loathe it. The amiable 50-year-old Midwesterner’s surname has even cropped up in the phrase “Bangle-butt”, a derisive term for the rear-end styling he introduced on some of his cars.
BMW’s top-selling X5, now in its second generation, pioneered the “sports activity vehicle” segment. With the Mini, BMW “solved the problem of the small premium hatchback”, Mr Bangle says. “Suddenly, everyone wants to be Mini, and we can make derivatives.” At the recent Frankfurt auto show, BMW premiered the Mini Clubman estate wagon and the X6, which it describes as a “sports activity coupé”. BMW hopes the X6, a high-off-the-ground vehicle with the look of a chunky sports car, will open another new segment when it goes on sale next year.
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