Design is a giant deal at BMW. Iconic cues like kidney grilles, Hofmeister kinks, and quad-headlights as soon as dominated each mannequin within the lineup. However these days are principally prior to now — that’s what we realized in a fast interview with three of the most important BMW design names within the sport at the moment. We be a part of Adrian van Hooydonk, Maximilian Missoni, and Oliver Heilmer to study a bit bit extra in regards to the state of design at BMW in 2025.
Say Goodbye to “Traditional” BMW Design; Supposedly, You Received’t Miss It
Adrian van Hooydonk seemingly wants no introduction, however we’ll do it anyway. He’s BMW’s Design Director and has been for over fifteen years. So, he’s a man who is aware of one thing about what “basic BMW design” appears like. When requested whether or not or not we’ll nonetheless have BMWs with “basic” design, Adrian didn’t mince phrases: “No, we received’t. Neue Klasse is a place to begin for a change in our type language,” he mentioned. “Not solely the electrical automobiles, but in addition the combustion automobiles.”
By way of design, Adrian feels the one strategy to evolve is to proceed “transferring ahead.” And he thinks Neue Klasse is a giant bounce. “You will notice in Neue Klasse design one thing very new, I imagine. Virtually like we’re skipping one technology, leaping one technology. That’s how new I believe it will likely be.” That is all carried out with out fully abandoning the previous BMW DNA, although: “You may hint it again to our heritage,” he begins. “You may hint it again all the best way to the BMW 1800 from the 60s. That’s BMW philosophy in a nutshell. We keep true to the place we’re coming from, however we all the time maintain transferring ahead.”
Max Missoni’s Already Trying Ahead, However Remembers the Previous
Maximilian Missoni is the latest face right here. He oversees design for the highest finish of the BMW lineup, from the 5 Sequence as much as and together with ALPINA fashions. And at the very least a part of the rationale he’s right here in any respect is Neue Klasse. “One of many the explanation why I joined the corporate [is] as a result of I understood that there’s this braveness to reimagine what BMW basic design will be like,” he mentioned. “There are different legacy manufacturers that aren’t as brave in terms of that.” As a reminder, Missoni comes from Polestar, the place he had a hand in primarily shaping the model’s design language we all know at the moment. Missoni additionally mentioned that they’re already engaged on what comes after the introduction of Neue Klasse; however that’s “a few years forward.”
Missoni additionally had quite a bit to say about the place electrification and design intersected. You in all probability bear in mind a time the place all EVs seemed drastically totally different from all the things else on the street. He does, too. “There was an effort to say, ‘Hey, take a look at me. I’m electrical. I’m totally different.’ However I believe we’re all seeing now that this wasn’t a really sustainable kind of strategy,” he says. “Common trajectory is in the direction of electrification, and there, good automobile design is sweet automobile design.”
M Design Stays Efficiency Centered
Oliver Heilmer is Missoni’s counterpart for the entry degree, overseeing design for the mannequin ranges as much as and together with the X3 and three Sequence. However he’s additionally main BMW M design. We requested: how will M strategy the Neue Klasse designs? “I believe for M we’re all the time coming from that perspective [design] speaking about efficiency,” he says. “All the things that we do concerning design…is bettering the efficiency of these very automobiles, whatever the drive prepare.” He says that no matter drivetrain, “it nonetheless stays an M automobile.”
How Speedtop Obtained Made
The Speedtop taking pictures brake is a really fairly automobile, and its restricted manufacturing run has some asking the way it even bought made within the first place. “The thought began from the design division,” begins Adrian van Hooydonk. However it’s a balancing act from there out. “You want contain sure departments from the large firm in an effort to be sure that the automobile drives like a BMW…different departments, you need to not become involved, as a result of then it simply will get gradual and complex.” It appears like van Hooydonk circumvented the purple tape the place he might, however it helps that it’s BMW we’re speaking about right here. “BMW, I believe, is a particular firm within the sense that everyone inside the corporate, additionally the highest administration, loves automobiles. They love design.”
There are different advantages to doing particular autos like this, too. Halo automobiles make the entire model extra aspirational. “I suppose the entire key was that they knew that this can be a very special day, and doing one thing within the restricted quantity truly helps our group additionally to not grow to be complacent, to not grow to be overly automated, automated, like a machine,” Hooydonk says. “As a result of it’s not a machine on the opposite finish, there’s actual folks on the opposite finish, clients.” Apparently, many of the presumably well-heeled Speedtop clients by no means cared about value. “Most of them by no means requested me what it value. They only mentioned ‘I would like it’,” Adrian says.
Neue Klasse iX3 is 4 Months Away — However There’s Nonetheless Work to Do
Lastly, it could appear stunning, however BMW isn’t fairly completed with the car they’re launching in simply 4 months. The “final part of industrialization” continues to be underway, which primarily constitutes UI and UX tweaks to make sure supply of a “product that’s on level.” We’ve heard of cramming, however this feels a bit ridiculous. Hopefully, the polish will present after we lastly take a spin within the manufacturing Neue Klasse autos
