It looks like BMW‘s design could possibly be heading in a cleaner path after polarising reactions to the corporate’s latest automobile launches.

In an interview with High Gear, BMW design director Adrian van Hooydonk mentioned the corporate isn’t “ignor[ing] the chatter”.

“We hear it. We see it,” mentioned Mr van Hooydonk, including that “we additionally have a look at our gross sales figures and so they look good”.

BMW, not together with Rolls-Royce and Mini, claimed worldwide gross sales of two.1 million automobiles in 2022, although that is technically down 5.1 per cent year-on-year.

“We really feel that in our job, we have to preserve including new parts to the design, we can not preserve repeating what now we have,” added Mr van Hooydonk.

“Typically now we have to depart and do new issues. The rationale for that’s we additionally need to have success in 10 years.”

Mr van Hooydonk says if a automotive’s design is well-liked when it’s first revealed, then it mightn’t maintain up sooner or later.

“Usually the best way you do it’s you then transfer the purpose posts,” mentioned Mr van Hooydonk.

“Which implies that whenever you first come out with the automotive, persons are undecided – some prefer it, some don’t.

“However then on the mid-life cycle all people agrees. After which it holds up all the best way to the top of the life cycle and doubtless past a used automotive.

“We’ve a fairly clear thought of the place we’re going to go, so it’s not like we’re experimenting or throwing issues on the market to see what sticks. It’s a really deliberate course of.

Mr van Hooydonk joined BMW in 1992 and beforehand labored underneath former BMW Group design director Chris Bangle, earlier than getting into his present position in 2009.

“I’m the custodian for a sure time frame and I need to do a very good job,” mentioned Mr van Hooydonk.

“After all we need to construct on what’s there, which is substantial, however I do know that constructing means including issues, not taking from the underside and placing it again on high. That doesn’t work.

“When you look in our historical past, you’ve seen that we’ve performed the whole lot from vertical, very slim, to vast and really low,” added Mr van Hooydonk in regard to the corporate’s double kidney grille.

“We really feel that the BMW model has at all times supplied some variation of that, so we will do something actually.

“However I believe sooner or later goes to be essential is our design will likely be cleaner.

“We are going to design the grille in line with the proportion of the general automobile, or in line with the expression that we need to give it.”

BMW has produced quite a few controversial designs in its historical past, notably this century, with numerous variations of its double kidney grille proving polarising.

Notable examples embrace the illuminated grille on the likes of the X5, X6, X7, and XM, in addition to the self-healing closed-off grille on the iX electrical SUV.

There’s additionally the chipmunk-esque double kidney grille on the 4 Sequence vary that was then carried over for the i4 electrical four-door coupe.