Ding dong, the witch is dead!! Bye Bye Bangle

[Malibu Rapper]

Bangle is a genius. Without him, BMW would have followed GM into boredom. Audi with the exception of the R8 and A5/S5 is doing what BMW would have done without Bangle and that is build cars with no character that belong at Fedmart wrapped in plastic with a baby blue label on it that says "Car." The fact that he is so controversial with both advocates and antagonists is a sign of genius and greatness.

 

[NSXGMS]

Bangle is a genius. Without him, BMW would have followed GM into boredom. Audi with the exception of the R8 and A5/S5 is doing what BMW would have done without Bangle and that is build cars with no character that belong at Fedmart wrapped in plastic with a baby blue label on it that says "Car." The fact that he is so controversial with both advocates and antagonists is a sign of genius and greatness.

He only became controversial after 2001 when it was revealed that he had much more personal involvement in the designs of the most unpopular BMW designs ever.

As I noted, Bangle's ability to lead a design team is second to none but his personal design styles result in something a luxury car can't afford to have--contoversy.

Would I have Bangle personally design my products? No. Would I have him lead my design team? Yes, in a second. His ability as a design leader went unquestioned from 1992 to 2001 which in the car business is tremendous.

Do I blame Bangle personally for the contoversy? I really can't say I do. All Bangle did was come up with a design. There were many people higher up than him that signed off on his design and made the executive decisions to put the Bangle designs into production. BMW chose to go with his personal design--he merely submitted it for them to consider.

Am I encouraged to see Bangle's personal designs will no longer be implemented? Yes. Did he need to leave or be asked to leave BMW or was it necessary to remove him from all aspects of future BMW designs? Not necessarily. BMW produced mostly great looking cars under his watch and ther's no reason that couldn't have continued by implementing him in the same fashion as they had from 1992 to 2001.

I understand if his departure was a PR move but it's unfortunate he has to become the fall guy for simply drawing a few pictures and submitting them. Hopefully another company can recognize his ability to lead a design team and scoop him up at a bargain rate. I know I would. As long as he keeps his pencil in his pocket and lets his team do the designing.

 

[Osiris_x11]

not so sure...

I think they simply could have reduced Bangle's direct input on the new designs and let the staff do the bulk of the work while continuing to let him run the show since he has proven he can lead the design team but I guess BMW didn't want to take any chances and wanted to broadcast that they were changing course as drastically as possible.

Did he need to leave or be asked to leave BMW or was it necessary to remove him from all aspects of future BMW designs?

I understand if his departure was a PR move but it's unfortunate he has to become the fall guy for simply drawing a few pictures and submitting them. Hopefully another company can recognize his ability to lead a design team and scoop him up at a bargain rate.

I'm not sure how/what/why you think 'he' was forced out or his tenureship [sic] via long-term contractual ties not being renewed. Are those your own ideas & conclusions? Just curious. . .

Actually, quite the contrary. He left of his own volition, desire, and choice. BMW wanted to keep him & had previous ongoing talks to do so. He simply moved on as he has other desires, pursuits, and so on. Henrik Fisker comes to mind, ala' moving on when your work at-hand is done. Period.

This over-emphasis of Bangle is amusing to all of us who are in the 'know in regards to the design-world & so forth. Truth be told, Bangle became more of a figurehead & 'face' of the direction BMW was striving towards as a desire to be an iconic marque. Images are powerful as they personify the inanimate & give life/longing/loyalty to an offering. No different than the mania that Apple has forged through Steve Jobs w/ their progressive offerings. Heralded high-fashion design houses hold onto their dinosaur-like iconic founders as-if they were sage-like guru's, whereas their functionality/utility & creative influence is less than that of a worn-out kitschy door-stopper. The very reason is that niche-market commercial appeal draws from correlational [sic] imagery & the very foundation from which it built was upon.

Not to mention if BMW wanted to purge any/all Bangle-influence as of late, his asst'/protege` Adrian van Hooydonk would be the LAST person on Earth they'd extend the position of head/lead design to. This guy (van Hooydonk) is even more progressive & assertive in his design-philosophy than Bangle in terms of 'flame-surfacing', concave-facets, sculpted vs. linear lines/breaks. Bangle left quote/unquote BMW design (BMW-only) for BMW-group (RR/Mini/BMW) right as the newer models were coming into existence led by the '02+ 7-series (E65 I believe). Also, at the launch of the E90/E91/E92 3-series models, he clearly stated that his work is done & BMW had come full-circle as the to direction they wanted to be in for generations to come. He was already looking elsewhere from thereon.

I personally don't buy into the argument about Bangle being a failure, an eye-sore for a renowned/heralded marque (BMW as an auto-marque was a quirky firm at best until the '80s yuppy phenomenon emerged), and so on & so forth. Sales #'s show his designs sold & sold well. Perhaps the BMW purists/traditionalists had a beef w/ his endeavors, then again even more new buyers globally were drawn in aside from the the few who moved on to other makes/models. Whereas BMW is big in the U.S., it's even bigger elsewhere. BMW recognized that their auto's can be art no different than fashion in their own realm. This realm being premium, but main-stream vehicles which usually was reserved for boutique offerings. Cautiously sensible, over-rational conservatives & un-emotive traditionalists devoid of passion simply need not apply. No different than haute-couture, art, and contemporary fusion cuisine. . .

Take a look at the new Hyundai Genesis sedan, current Mercedes Benz W221 S-Class, current Lexus LS460/600hL, current Lexus IS250/350, current Honda Accord/Inspire sedan, current Acura TSX, current Acura RL (post MMC), current Toyota Camry, current Toyota Avalon, and a great many other makes/models. In the purest essence, the styling cues & design-trends of Bangle-led BMW are polarizing but progressive as literally millions upon millions of vehicles (not made by the BMW group) now embody many of his hallmark traits.

I'm all-in-all ambivalent towards the Bangle-influenced BMW designs for the most part, but there's no denying their success, influence, and evoking notoriety. Being an admirer of design, technology, and performance, but of-course I'm drawn towards a few of the the designs/styles/forms of the group's past/current offerings. . .

 

[NSXGMS]

Re: not so sure...

I'm not sure how/what/why you think 'he' was forced out or his tenureship [sic] via long-term contractual ties not being renewed. Are those your own ideas & conclusions? Just curious. . .

Actually, quite the contrary. He left of his own volition, desire, and choice. BMW wanted to keep him & had previous ongoing talks to do so. He simply moved on as he has other desires, pursuits, and so on. Henrik Fisker comes to mind, ala' moving on when your work at-hand is done. Period.

This over-emphasis of Bangle is amusing to all of us who are in the 'know in regards to the design-world & so forth. Truth be told, Bangle became more of a figurehead & 'face' of the direction BMW was striving towards as a desire to be an iconic marque. Images are powerful as they personify the inanimate & give life/longing/loyalty to an offering. No different than the mania that Apple has forged through Steve Jobs w/ their progressive offerings. Heralded high-fashion design houses hold onto their dinosaur-like iconic founders as-if they were sage-like guru's, whereas their functionality/utility is less than that of a worn-out door-stopper. The very reason is that niche-market commercial appeal draws from correlational [sic] imagery & the very foundation from which it built upon.

Not to mention if BMW wanted to purge any/all Bangle-influence as of late, his asst'/protege` Adrian van Hooydonk would be the LAST person on Earth they'd extend the position of head/lead design to. This guy (van Hooydonk) is even more progressive & assertive in his design-philosophy than Bangle in terms of 'flame-surfacing', concave-facets, sculpted vs. linear lines/breaks. Bangle left quote/unquote BMW design (BMW-only) for BMW-group (RR/Mini/BMW) right as the newer models were coming into existence led by the '02+ 7-series (E65 I believe). Also, at the launch of the E90/E91/E92 3-series models, he clearly stated that his work is done & BMW had come full-circle as the to direction they wanted to be in for generations to come. He was already looking elsewhere from then.

I personally don't buy into the argument about Bangle being a failure, an eye-sore for a renowned/heralded marque (BMW as an auto-marque was a quirky firm at best until the '80s yuppy phenomenon emerged), and so on & so forth. Sales #'s show his designs sold & sold well. Perhaps the BMW purists/traditionalists had a beef w/ his endeavors, then again even more new buyers globally were drawn in aside from the the few who moved on to other makes/models. Whereas BMW is big in the U.S., it's even bigger elsewhere. BMW recognized that their auto's can be art no different than fashion in their own realm. This realm being premium, but main-stream vehicles which usually was reserved for boutique offerings. Cautiously sensible, over-rational conservatives, un-emotive traditionalists simply need not apply. No different than haute-couture, art, and contemporary fusion cuisine. . .

Take a look at the new Hyundai Genesis sedan, current Mercedes Benz W221 S-Class, current Lexus LS460/600hL, current Lexus IS250/350, current Honda Accord/Inspire sedan, current Acura TSX, current Acura RL (post MMC), current Toyota Camry, current Toyota Avalon, and a great many other makes/models. In the purest essence, the styling cues & design-trends of Bangle are polarizing but progressive as literally millions of vehicles (not made by the BMW group) now embody many of his hallmark traits.

I'm all-in-all ambivalent towards the Bangle-influenced BMW designs for the most part, but there's no denying their success, influence, and evoking notoriety. Being an admirer of design, technology, and performance, but of-course I'm drawn towards of the group's past/current offerings. . .

I never stated that he was asked to leave, only that that was a hypothetical possibility. He obviously left a company that he had been with and had success at for a very long time for a reason. If he was wanted by BMW and was being compensated and treated properly why would he leave? Again, I'm not suggesting that he was asked to leave but that it is a distinct possibility and certainly makes sense.

Anyone's opinions regarding the progressive and envelope-pushing nature of Bangle's designs are just opinions. What is a fact is that there were a disproportionate amount of loudly-voiced negative opinions surrounding a design which he had, from all accounts, a higher level of personal input on than he had on previous designs over the 9 years albeit holding the same position at the company the entire time.

Since the only variable in the story is Bangle's level of personal involvement, taking into consideration his previous success over a 9-year period, it's clear that Bangle's personal design led to a car that was more criticized than previous designs. Comparing that to his previous work one could draw the conclusion that he was brilliant when leading designers but less successful when designing himself.

As I noted, I find it hard to blame the guy for anything except submitting a design to the suits. He was far from the final say on whether that design got the green light. In that sense he unfortunately became a scapegoat.

I personally don't like his 2001+ designs and I am glad that he won't be as personally involved in the next design but certainly don't feel that he needed to leave the company and I am hoping that my above hypothetical isn't true and that he did get either a better opportunity or some other non-design-controversy related issue prompted his resignation. I think he's an asset to any car company, including BMW--but as a design leader, not a designer.

 

[heySkippy]

Regardless of how much Bangle was or was not responsible, here's hoping BMW will move back towards classy and classic distinctive designs. The last decade has been horrid for them.