BMW’s recent vehicle designs have been a hot topic among casual observers and enthusiasts, with most of the attention focused on the brand’s iconic kidney grilles, which have certainly grown in size. We’ve already seen examples of this with the latest G22 BMW 4 Series, and before that, there was the G11/G12 7 Series LCI and G07 X7.
The German carmaker is certainly aware of the public’s comments about its design direction, which are abundant on social media and other mediums, and they know that it isn’t all positive. However, BMW also knows that its chosen path will not please everyone.
This was revealed by Domagoj Dukec – who has been leading the BMW Design team since April 2019 – in an interview with Top Gear, who said, “I’m reading social media and press, and I can see that some people are wondering where BMW is heading, but I can assure you that we have a clear vision about where we’re going. We all love the brand.”
Dukec goes on the say that he has been in the business of car design for over 20 years and understands that one thing’s for sure: everyone has an opinion. “That’s normal. If you want to create something that stands out, it must be distinguished and it has to be different,” he noted.
“You can create something beautiful, and we also have cars which are just pretty. But there are some customers that, if you want to reach them, you have to stand out. You have to create something that is not in line; maybe not like an everyday car or an everyday product, but that’s exactly the reason,” explained Dukec.
Looking back at BMW’s heritage, Dukec pointed out that during the Chris Bangle era, some of brand’s models – like the E60 5 Series – were criticised for the way they looked at the time, but are now remembered fondly. As such, a break from tradition is something that is familiar to BMW.
“Now, this is a special time. It is different and distinguished, [the new cars], I think this is something we are used to. It is not our goal to please everyone in the world. You can’t make a design which pleases everyone. But you have to please your customers,” he said.
Yes, customers are the ones that actually make BMW money, and according to Dukec, he reckons that 70% of its buyers are “elegant creators,” or “successful businesspeople” who want something discreet yet capable. For these buyers, there’s BMW’s core models like the 3, 5 and 7 Series. Meanwhile, the remaining 30% are “expressive performers” that are described as buyers who are “self-confident” and attracted to models like the Z4 and 8 Series, for example.
“Not all our products get the same critics. You can see that on something as polarising like the kidneys on the 4 Series, 20% of people are liking it. That fits to the type of customers we are targeting,” Dukec said, in relation to the above. “Not all customers are going for the 4 Series,” he added. So, if you’re aren’t pleased with the grille on the latest 4 Series, BMW thinks it’s unlikely that you’ll be a prospective buyer.
“It’s impossible to create something where everybody will cheer and say ‘this is the most beautiful car in the world’,” Dukec noted. To chime in, BMW group design director Adrian van Hooydonk said, “it’s really fantastic [if you have fans]. It means you have people that not just buy your products, but love what you do. Of course, if they love what you do, the minute you change it, they might have an issue with it. It comes with the territory.”
“In 2021, we are making design decisions for products that will come into the market in 2024. And those will then remain in the market for seven or eight years, so beyond 2030. How will customers react in so many years from now?,” van Hooydonk continued.
“We don’t know. What we do know is that if we don’t move, we become a sitting duck. I guess the name of the game is to move enough so that the company thrives in the future, but not so much you lose contact with your fan base altogether,” he added.
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If he has to come out with that statement it would mean BMW is getting some considerable flak from its customers lah otherwise they wouldn’t need to comment on it.
Yeah. I mean I’ve yet to hear car reviewers speak favourably of that grille’s dimension. No issues with the rest of the car’s design however.
Oh my Jack Rabbit tooth
bmw car new designs are just safe, but with the added hideous beaver teeth grille to the front. nothing beautiful like recent volvos, cupras or alfa romeos
the Chris bangle era was full of controversial designs.
Today, the Z4 from his era (forgot the code model number), the E60 5 series, E63 6 series and the E9X 3 series look modern and fresh despite being over 10 years old.
Modern and fresh? Seriously? Get your eyes checked again. Bangle’s designs were so bad it made the next generation look eyewateringly good.
Design is subjective and you can find many people who love the design of the E60 and E85 Z4. i personally love the E60 especially with the sport bodykit.
even then, i still think chris bangle cars are beautiful. its design language was copied by everyone in the era, from toyota camry’s to hyundai’s
the design was too radical for some people, but it was very beautiful, never ugly. these new beaver teeths stuck in front of the new BMWs are extremely hideous.
His 7 Series was a forgettable horror. Most of my doctor friends gave it a miss. Today you rarely find an example still on the road.
It is not their goal to please everyone but somehow they succeeded to piss-off everyone.
mercedes, audi, volvo will thank them for their increased sales in the next half a decade or so.
” It’s impossible to create something where everybody will cheer and say ‘this is the most beautiful car in the world’ ”
if only 20% of people say your new car is beautiful, that means 80% thinks it is ugly.
that really means that your design is ugly. period.
look at volvo, or should i say polestar new designs. look at cupra new designs. look at alfa romeo new designs. that is what i consider beautiful.
mercedes and audi as usual are very conservative, and not much a radical cange from model to model, but i consider mercedes latest designs much more elegant than BMW current designs, especially the 3 and 4 series huge chunky beaver teeths.
Well, liked it or not, you all need to get used of it. Yes, understand that some of you guys are not very happy with this kidney front grill for M3/M4. But you may not know that designs will be completely more different and styling will be new, especially for upcoming new 7 series and facelift X7 together with the front design with redesigning front headlights that launching in here next or 2 years. This will not get you completely bored compare in few years ago. Trust me guys
besarnya lobang hidung
and for those who aspired to owned a Bimmer soon;
1126
7797
7018
Easy for swab test..lol
Be unik. Well done BMW!
Maybe because I love the design very much but I fully agreed with them!
The same schenatic answer for any ruling government in Malaysia then.
“it’s not our goal to please everyone”
Could have just said ‘we are pleasing our largest buyers – China’. No need to be defensive lol
Arrogance leads to downfall.
This Hubris will come back to you, Mr Dukec.
This guy is targeting worldwide sales of 20% from the overall current sales volume .
Instead of selling close to two million cars , he is targeting only 400K worldwide sales in the foreseeable future for those loyal customers
Well done great job ! as not everyone love the brand FYI
all that jazz about design, how about sorting the oil filter o rings which has been failing for the past 20 years and those timing chain issues to name a few..
Mau copy itu panamericana punye grill la tuh
Then is it their goal to offend everyone with such design?
BMW realized that after so many of us had purchased brand new E46, E9x, F8x, and even F87s over the years that we had wasted too much money on depreciation. BMW knows that one of the top 10 secrets to getting rich is to never buy a new car. So BMW in their kind and thoughtful way decided to make a car that would be less appealing and easy for us to walk out of that random dealership visit without taking a new BMW home.
dukec is lucky. he can blame coronavirus for the low sales of new BMWs instead of pinning the fact to the very ugly beaver teeth grille.
Well, liked it or not, you all need to get used of it. Yes, understand that some of you guys are not very happy with this kidney front grill for M3/M4. But you may not know that designs will be completely more different and styling will be new, especially for upcoming new 7 series and facelift X7 together with the front design with redesigning front headlights that launching in here next or 2 years. This will not get you completely bored compare in few years ago. Trust me guys
well, you can say that and show your arrogance and attitude when your car brand is popular all over the world.. try that in a Proton and see how
Die for also have to stand behind the direction they have taken la.. As cars already rollout of factory. Sales number will speak the truth.
different people, different taste. majority who mock that big grill just cant afford it anyway. cant understand why people make big fuss about it. u tak suka u tak payah beli. beli bmw tak wajib pun
Typical ego kind of a statement… It s up to him, if he wants to stick to his design cue but to me anything that is out of proportion is not pleasing at all…