Bangle butt hero

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/01/2008 (6760 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOKYO — When the BMW 7 Series debuted in 2002, it introduced the world to iDrive and something that quickly became known as the Bangle butt. The design language was simple — a two-level rear end that featured a bustle-like deck lid that closed over the rear fenders. The legacy of this styling cue could have sent Chris Bangle, then designer and now director of design at BMW Group, to the automotive equivalent of Siberia — but it didn’t. He’s just as passionate about design, where it’s going and the promise that young designers bring to the table.

Question: You were vilified for what became known as the Bangle butt. It now seems to enjoy universal acceptance, as it is incorporated into many rival designs. What changed between then and now?

Answer: The fact you see it (the butt) in other cars is always interesting to me. What I see and you see are two different things at times. When we designed it, we did so for functional reasons. We created it because we had a set of problems to solve and we did it for aerodynamic, packaging and space concerns. The design is actually a traditional automotive form, but in new proportions. Perhaps, as others arrive at the same problem areas as we did, they solve them the same way. This might explain why you see what you see.

Q: In hindsight, would you rethink the deck lid’s shut lines?

A: No, we kept them on the facelifted car (in 2005) to keep the original’s character and the usability of those wide shut lines. It made the opening that much larger and the trunk bigger. I think the 7 Series is holistic and intact just the way it is, so I would do it the same way again.

Q: Will future powertrains change design?

A: The spaces where we have engines and fuel tanks now are probably going to be replaced by the elements of a new powertrain structure. The present design is the least intrusive into personal space, it meets safety considerations and balances the weight within the car. So, the idea that we are suddenly going to be sitting outside the wheels with the engine in the middle or something like that is not likely. On the other hand, components such as fuel cells will have space requirements of their own. We have not had to deal with this before. Some of these elements are going to change how we relate to one another within the car. It could be that the central tunnel will become a large intrusion and so we will have to turn that disadvantage into an advantage. It could be that the trunk will be used for other things and so we must find a way of regaining the usable space. These are all big challenges, but the idea we will shift away from the three-box design and into mono-volumes is unlikely.

Q: If you had to give a young designer one piece of advice, what would it be?

A: So many young people leave their studies thinking, “Well, when I’ve finished that and have the diploma, now the world is going to come to me.” It doesn’t work like that. The crucial thing for young designers to understand is that this industry relies on their energy. They have to bring the energy to the table and make their designs work. A highly energetic portfolio that’s presented with conviction attracts attention.

It’s fascinating what happens when you relieve young designers of some of the old dogmatic principles and ask them to look for alternatives. An interesting idea for an instrument panel came about when some of our young designers worked with a fine cabinetmaker. His specialty was veneers. The designers went with him, put on hip boots and waded into a stream in Germany in February where he was soaking all of his wood. In the water, he began twisting, pushing, shoving, moving it around. Suddenly, out of this comes a completely different type of object. Before, we would have made a clay model and then milled it out of wood to get the finished item. That’s not how you really work with wood, you get in there and wrestle it. Young people are very good at this type of thinking and bringing their vision into the design process is one of the real pluses.

Q: What has been the weirdest experience you’ve had?

A: I was having lunch with some dealers at a test track. Between the first and second courses, a group of guys came up and asked me to go outside. I was bundled into a car, basically kidnapped by these guys, and driven around and around in circles. They were trying to show me what would happen if we (the designers) didn’t change something so they (the engineers) could change something. So they got me all dizzy and took me back to lunch and said, “Now do you understand our point?” Uh, OK, I get the point. I try to inspire people through design; I guess they were just trying to inspire me to change.

–CanWest News Service