[mkoesel]

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https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...ling-direction

BMW design boss defends radical styling direction

Adrian van Hooydonk reaffirms commitment to expressive design, as embodied by recent 4 Series Coupe concept

BMW’s design boss has again defended the brand’s controversial new styling direction, continued in earnest by the recently revealed Concept 4 Series Coupé.

After it was unwrapped at the Frankfurt motor show, Adrian van Hooydonk was asked about the polarising views of BMW’s recent design debuts.

He told Autocar: “I’m not a psychologist but I know BMW is a brand that not only has customers, it has fans. They know our entire design history and have strong opinions on that. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, it means we have really connected with these people on an emotional level. Okay, I know that there might be some discussion with fans because they’ve grown to love what you’ve just done and you’re changing it already.

“As a company, you have to keep moving,” he continued. “The minute you start standing still, you become an easy target. The market is very competitive now, more than ever. But the hardest thing to do is make changes while you are successful. If you are no longer successful, people will immediately start saying you need to make changes, but then you are in panic mode.”

Describing the 4 Series specifically, van Hooydonk said: “It is a sporty coupé, and by definition it has to have a very expressive design, and you see that all around the car, not just the front. But there are not that many lines or elements – it’s not a complex design.

“We want to do this for all our cars: we want to have fewer elements, then each element you use plays a bigger role.”

Van Hooydonk did acknowledge, however, that it was the recent facelift of the 7 Series flagship that was the most visually distinctive – and there’s a good reason for that.

“It was part of the brief,” he said. “People liked the car, but they said by and large it looks quite similar to the previous one, so why should they buy the new one? Now everyone has noticed and production has ramped up considerably.”

[SteveinArizona]

He is tone deaf. The complaints of many of us are not that they have changed, it is that they have changed from an attractive grill to a hideous unattractive one. Change is fine...just make it attractive.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by SteveinArizona

He is tone deaf. The complaints of many of us are not that they have changed, it is that they have changed from an attractive grill to a hideous unattractive one. Change is fine...just make it attractive.

+1 - Time for van Hooydonk to move on.

[Rush1]

The car is nice looking except for the out of proportion grill.

[Gamb1t]

Meh... ugly car can sell well. Just look at Teslas. We have a giant Asprin, Platypus, Aztek with gullwings. They are doing just fine.

[Captain Blood]

That may be the worst grill I've ever seen on a car. Worse than any Toyota/Lexus........

[Mani59]

Of course he will defend his own work.

The last few and current designs have either been ugly or getting uglier in my opinion.

Time for him to move on...

[MarkDemma]

Who actually LIKES these huge grills? I've heard that it's primarily to the Chinese market who love the things.

Audi / Lexus have been doing this for a while and I always thought it looked hideous. I do hope that it doesn't spread to the entire line of cars.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by MarkDemma

Who actually LIKES these huge grills? I've heard that it's primarily to the Chinese market who love the things.

Audi / Lexus have been doing this for a while and I always thought it looked hideous. I do hope that it doesn't spread to the entire line of cars.

I’m afraid of what the LCI G20 might look like.

[Moflow]

Originally Posted by Gamb1t

Meh... ugly car can sell well. Just look at Teslas. We have a giant Asprin, Platypus, Aztek with gullwings. They are doing just fine.

I just looked up the numbers out of curiosity.

Between the years of 2000 and 2007 Chrysler sold roughly 100K PT Cruisers every year.

I'm not ready to brand the ugly 4-series concept a failure.

[Paisano]

We had the Bengel-butt that terrorized some BMW booties and now the Hooydonk-Snout.

Tone deaf is right. If you acknowledge the BMW loyalists, you should attempt to listen to them as you advance the brand forward.

[bimmer456]

Can the grill provide 2.5 mph impact resistance to damage? Since there is no bumper. They decided to put a bumper only where the small offset crash test would take place. I haven't seen the full head on crash test recently do they still do those?

[frankchn]

Adrian van Hooydonk is probably used to controversy. Remember the E65 7-Series with the flame surfacing and "Bangle Butt"? van Hooydonk was the lead designer for that vehicle.

People really hated that design when it first came out, but I think it has aged decently well. I suspect we will see something similar with the new grills.

[noushy]

Hopefully the grill is just for a concept. Ugly if it is that large. Nothing else to say. The rear section from rear third back is amazing. Sexy in fact.

Noushy

[otay]

For the 4 series anyway...

In addition to being an ugly trapezoidal version of the classic kidney grille...my problem with this is that huge grilles have been done by other makes for years now. Instead of leading, they are behind. Why bother then?

[bobloblaw]

Big grille or not, it was time for a big design change for BMW IMO. The outgoing design language of the F3x, G11/12, and G30 look very dated to me already. If you told me the G30 came out in 2010 when the F10 debuted, I would believe you. Same goes for the G11. When those cars debuted, it was so disappointing and I just thought "that's it?" A new 5er and 7er shouldn't elicit that kind of response. It seems like BMW is thinking the same way since this design language has only lasted one generation before a big shakeup.

[Who's on first]

I'm just sitting here laughing at all the people who were swearing this will never happen. Then all the photos were fake and incorrect.

[f80er]

Originally Posted by MarkDemma

Who actually LIKES these huge grills? I've heard that it's primarily to the Chinese market who love the things.

Audi / Lexus have been doing this for a while and I always thought it looked hideous. I do hope that it doesn't spread to the entire line of cars.

Sedan clan has a huge hard on for it.

[JoePcone]

I'm all for taking chances with design but you look like a cheese dik in this thing trying to overcompensate for something with that grill. That's just plain embarrassing. It's a shame too because I think the rest of the concept is outstanding.

Couldn't agree more with this guy

[SoCalS2k]

Originally Posted by SteveinArizona

He is tone deaf. The complaints of many of us are not that they have changed, it is that they have changed from an attractive grill to a hideous unattractive one. Change is fine...just make it attractive.

I agree so much. It's not a problem to be radical but why does it have to look ugly and cheap. The looks are very cheap and kind of trashy looking like a Korean car. That is my main problem

[phantom7835]

Pandering to the Chinese market because that's where the money is

[XxThe_RemedyXx]

Jesus those grills are ugly.