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Why Bangle Left BMW

Bangle's radical design ideas are what might be behind his decision to part ways with BMW. Project i, a concept meant to develop city cars and look into transportation solutions for urban areas, seems to be to blame. According to BMWblog.com, Bangle's ideas didn't see eye to eye with those of Adrian van Hooydonk and CEO Norbert Reithofer.

The two sides didn't agree on whether to introduce Project i as a new brand or to go for the use of the BMW or Mini ones. The following arguments forced Bangle to leave the company, as he didn't want to take responsibility for ideas that weren't his own. BMW tried to stop him from leaving by offering him the position of Design Director of DesignWorksUSA, but the American designer turned it down.

Bangle will keep on cooperating with BMW, at least to some point. He is said to work in the Designworks team for mostly non-automotive projects. "Christopher Bangle has had a lasting impact on the identity of BMW Group's brands," Dr. Klaus Draeger, a member of BMW's board of development, was quoted as saying by blog.wired.com. "His contribution to the company's success has been decisive, and together with his teams he has mapped out a clear and aesthetic route to the future," he added

Motor Trend wrote in its article Interview Chris Bangle, BMW's Design Chief "no other designer, not even legendary GM design chief Harley Earl, has so rapidly become a part of the industry lexicon. To 'bangle' a design is now an auto-industry verb for ruining it. Auto writers use 'Bangle butt' to describe a tail with an extra layer of metal on the trunk. Bangle, some auto industry rivals remind you, is only one letter away from 'bungle.'"
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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