BMW Isn’t Giving Up On Wild Designs Just Yet
- BMW’s new iX3 returns to simpler, more timeless styling.
- Neue Klasse design favors long-term appeal and clarity.
- Company will still offer expressive models alongside the shift.
BMW has taken its fair share of hits over the years for its design choices, sometimes deserved, often divisive. The critique has been relentless, especially as its signature styling veered further from the restrained elegance of earlier decades. But things are shifting.
As the brand enters its Neue Klasse era, it’s leading with a second-generation iX3 that still stands out, but this time in a way that seems to be turning fewer stomachs.
Also: BMW Turns Down The Design Drama And Turns Up Its Love For Sedans And Wagons
The iX3 maintains a distinctive silhouette, yet manages to sidestep the more polarizing traits seen elsewhere in the lineup. Its look remains recognizably BMW, but with a sharper eye for proportion and detail. However, the Neue Klasse philosophy doesn’t mean BMW is abandoning its so-called “expressive” approach, but it’s clear there’s been a recalibration.
Classic DNA with Contemporary Touches
Neue Klasse isn’t just a design theme, it’s a chance to reset the brand’s visual language. Adrian van Hooydonk, the BMW Group’s longtime chief designer, has been steering this rethink.
Drawing on inspiration from the brand’s earlier decades, the most noticeable change is the reworked kidney grille. Where recent models ballooned the iconic shape to near caricature, the new iX3 pulls back. The grille is now more upright and vertically oriented, reversing the trend of ever-widening openings.
Speaking with German business outlet Handelsblatt, van Hooydonk explained that the new design language is focused on “longevity.” He described the new styling direction as intentionally more subdued and structured, with fewer lines and less visual noise. “We wanted a formal language that was very long-lasting,” he said. “That’s why it’s simpler.”
Rebels Like the XM Still Have a Place
His thinking comes with a bit of cultural commentary. “The world is getting louder and louder, so I’m happy if we bring a little peace and quiet,” he said in reference to the new design approach. Importantly, this doesn’t mean all future BMW designs will be tame. For those who love the XM, van Hooydonk said, “there will still be expressive products – you just need to be a little patient.”
Also: BMW Is About To Change The Look Of Every Single Car It Makes
Van Hooydonk has led BMW’s design direction for more than 15 years. Now 61, he’s technically past the company’s internal age limit for executive roles. Yet no successor has been announced, leaving the future of BMW’s design leadership momentarily undefined.
During a recent event at BMW’s independent Designworks studio in Santa Monica, van Hooydonk was pressed on what is perhaps the company’s most flamboyant model today. Asked whether he personally found the XM “beautiful,” he responded with deliberate ambiguity: “Beautiful, that has to be defined.”
Designing for Broader Appeal
The iX3, by contrast, is intentionally more accessible. Designed with a wider audience in mind, it takes a more balanced approach.
Martin Groschwald, head of the design consultancy Konzepthaus, pointed out that many Chinese manufacturers tend to mimic one another. “Without the logo, they look almost identical,” he told Handelsblatt. The iX3, he says, walks a fine line being close enough in form to be familiar to Chinese buyers, but with enough distinctiveness to remain recognizably BMW.
Read: BMW iX3 Beats Its Official Range By Over 120 Miles In Real-World Test
Work on the Neue Klasse designs started in 2019, and the reception to the new iX3, including its design, has been strong. In the first six weeks after its September unveiling, BMW received around 3,000 orders for the new iX3 in Germany alone. BMW is also confident it’ll prove popular elsewhere, including in China, where long wheelbase versions will be produced.
The company’s bet is clear. In markets like China, a certain degree of visual conformity is expected, even welcomed. But BMW is aiming to thread that needle, delivering a product that fits in just enough to be appealing, yet distinct enough to stand apart.
SBMedien
The Auto World
Comments
Post a Comment