When Chris Bangle accepted his role as BMW design chief in 1992, he began to lead the German automaker into a new direction of automotive design and decisively transformed the luxury brand. Previously, German automakers preferred clean, simple, elegant shapes until Chris Bangle introduced concepts that featured more edges and sharper creases. According to an old interview conducted with Motor Trend, Chris Bangle called the radical surface treatment "visual energy."
Now, BMW has appointed Karim Habib as the new Head of BMW Design. A key player in Bangle's administration since 1998, the Lebanese-Canadian designer and engineer is credited for a selection of projects and has assumed positions as the team leader of Advanced Design at BMW Group and had also later led the BMW Exterior Design department as well. In fact, Habib is responsible for the exterior design of the current BMW 7 Series.
Addressing his new role at BMW, Karim Habib said, "I feel very honored and I look forward to this new challenge. Now, I have the opportunity of working together with a great team to shape the future face of the BMW brand."
Beginning June 1, Habib will be reporting to Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice-president of BMW Group. Commenting on the opportunity to work with Habib at his new post, Adrin van Hooydonk said, "Karim Habib is an outstanding designer who has had a significant impact on the design of the BMW brand over many years. His longstanding experience and subtle instinct for timely elegance and dynamics are the ideal prerequisites for this demanding task. I look forward very much to his support and collaboration."
