BMW is getting not one however two new heads of design. If you happen to’ve been following BimmerFile over time, you’ll know that it’s comparatively regular for BMW to cycle designers via completely different manufacturers and roles. However what was introduced in the present day appears to be like a bit completely different and indicators a shift in how BMW will strategy design sooner or later.
BMW Group is shaking issues up in its Design division, all beneath the path of lengthy standing Group Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk. The BMW Group is forming a brand new, cross-brand design workforce beginning October 1, 2024 targeted on guaranteeing BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce are on the forefront of automotive design with an eye fixed in the direction of innovation.
“Expertise and buyer preferences are shifting sooner than ever earlier than. Automotive design is extra numerous in the present day. Digital experiences, sound design, and sustainable supplies are actually simply as essential because the automobile’s aesthetics. Each element counts, and it’s the seamless integration of all these parts that makes the distinction.”
Adrian van Hooydonk
BMW is splitting its design workforce two studios permitting for a extra clear concentrate on the underside and middle-end of the market and the extra luxurious top-end of the product line-up. There will even be consolidation of Color and Materials Design throughout all manufacturers and a stronger concentrate on “Superior Design” for the longer term.
BMW Design
Oliver Heilmer, beforehand accountable for MINI Design, is now liable for BMW’s compact and mid-size fashions, plus BMW M. In the meantime, Claudia Braun will head up a brand new cross-brand Color and Materials Design division, overseeing BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce. Braun has already been steering this for BMW since April 2024, bringing expertise from Porsche, Daimler, and Volvo.
On the top-end of the market, Van Hooydonk has tapped business veteran Maximilian Missoni to steer design for BMW’s higher mid-size and luxurious fashions, in addition to BMW Alpina. Missoni comes from a profitable tenure as Head of Design at Polestar, following stints at Volkswagen and Volvo Automobiles.
“I’m excited to maintain pushing the design and evolution of our automobiles ahead, alongside a top-tier workforce of gifted design professionals.”
Adrian van Hooydonk
Former BMW Design Studio Head Domagoj Dukec is shifting to Rolls-Royce Design, taking up Bespoke and Coachbuild obligations. Anders Warming, who beforehand led Rolls-Royce Design, will now sort out all issues Superior Design, together with overseeing the BMW Group Designworks subsidiary. Holger Hampf, Head of Designworks, is ready to steer MINI design.
Christian Bauer continues to spearhead digital buyer expertise innovation throughout all manufacturers.
MINI Design Adjustments
Holger Hampf, Head of BMW Group Designworks, will now be accountable for design for the MINI model.
Holger took the reins as President of Designworks again in 2017, making the transfer from Munich to the agency’s California HQ. Earlier than this, he was Head of Design Consumer Expertise for BMW Group, the place he performed a key function in pushing the corporate’s digitalization efforts and shaping person interface design throughout all of BMW’s manufacturers.
Holger’s received a wealth of expertise and a real ardour for design. His wide-ranging background means he has worn many hats over time—digital pioneer, guide, designer, networker, and ambassador—all rolled into one.
What actually units him aside is his skill to mix one of the best of two worlds. He’s traditionally mixed the exact, “much less is extra” mindset of German design with the daring, go-for-it vitality of California’s artistic scene.
