BMW design chief: ‘Biggest changes are yet to come’ – Interview

BMW resolutely opts for the circular approach, in which recycling plays a central role. What does that mean for the design department?

“In any case, that will be an extra challenge. In the past we mainly focused on the emissions during driving, now we also look at the entire trajectory for that. Call it the history of a car, including design and production. This means that in our department we are going to look even more closely at the ecological footprint of each component and each material in order to reduce CO2 emissions in that area as well. This isn’t entirely new, of course, as we’ve been working on the i Vision Circular for a year, the design study that embodies our new approach. Together with our purchasing and production departments, we want to achieve a material flow that is completely circular. By the way, that is what the Paris climate agreement obliges all manufacturers to in the long run.”

Van Hooydonk at the BMW i Vision Circular

Three car brands with thermal and electric powertrains, a motorcycle brand with a scooter department and now the circular economy. Do you never lose the common thread?

“Luckily not, because that would of course be disastrous with a team of 700 people working on the most diverse themes and projects worldwide. My working day has certainly become longer, but also more varied. Every hour I look at a different project, which is always in a different stage. Moreover, I try to weave not one, but several red threads through all our activities, because nowadays different themes are at play. Most of them have to do with electrification, of course, but also with digitization because all our cars are ‘connected’. So see my role more as that of an Art Director, who mainly focuses on the big picture, but goes deeper into the matter where necessary. And so there is still a lot of creativity involved.”

In the past, designers were often inspired by the technical characteristics of the powertrain. How do you deal with this in the era of the anonymous electric motor?

“As an industrial designer, I am the first to admit that technology can be a source of inspiration. But in reality, I find my inspiration in many more things, such as architecture and modern art. So it doesn’t have to be old-fashioned mechanical. That’s why I find driving an EV just as inspiring as driving a petrol car, especially in the city where the zen factor of an electric car is wonderful. In fact, because the inherent sound of the combustion engine disappears, I am now responsible for the new driving sounds. As we know, we develop these with Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer, which is really an enrichment for our field. To return to the previous question, that makes my day and our work all the more interesting.”

Does it still make sense for you to look to that rich BMW past for inspiration?

“Yeah, sure. We are proud of our heritage and continue to look at classics such as the M1 and CSL 3.0 in the design department. Fantastic cars are those that we regularly visit in the BMW Museum. Because even if the design and especially the technology changes from generation to generation, that typical BMW DNA is always there. It may look different with our latest designs, because we don’t want to preach retro design. But the combination of sportiness and elegance that has always characterized our brand has remained. The Germans use the word ‘filigree’ for this, which stands for fine quality work. We try to translate that feeling of lightness from the past into the future, which should certainly be possible with the new materials.”

BMW i Vision Circular

Speaking of past and future, do you think your personal pinnacle in your role as design director has already passed or is yet to come?

“(laughs) To do this work with conviction, you have to assume that the best is ahead of you. Compare it to a driver or a pilot: he cannot continue to motivate himself if he thinks that his peak has already passed. I’ve never had a dull day in our group’s design department. I would even dare to say that in recent years we have done really exciting things, such as creating the BMW i department, putting the Mini brand on the map and significantly modernizing Rolls-Royce. In addition, there is also the market for motorcycles and scooters, which is really booming. But in a way, everything I’ve done so far feels like one big exercise.”

What Do You Mean By That?

“That the biggest technological changes in my career are just now imminent. We have of course been working on it internally for some time, but the public will only notice in three to five years what I mean exactly. With our announcements at the IAA we have already lifted a corner of the veil about our Neue Klasse, but by no means everything. In the meantime, the new i4 signals that electrification has now truly arrived at the heart of our range, albeit in an elegant way with classic-sporty proportions. The iX has a more challenging task in that respect, which is to give the design of our X models a new impetus, just as the i8 has done with the sports cars before. As you know, SUVs are also a very important category for BMW, which will gradually adopt the new design principles of the electric iX – both inside and out.”