In one major reorganization of your departmentBMW has brought in Max Missoni, formerly of Polestar and Volvo, and has moved Domagoj Dukec, former BMW studio head, to Rolls.
BMW’s restructuring partly reflects the trend changes in design in general (greater emphasis on digital and sound design, along with sustainability). But the Missoni/Dukec moves are especially significant. Cerebral and original, with a deep knowledge of high-net-worth people and their changing tastes, Dukec should fit well in Rolls-Roycealthough, at Goodwood, will have to adapt to a tighter creative leash. And with Missoni in charge of BMW’s upper mid-range and luxury cars, the return to elegance seems assured.
However, under the umbrella of Dukec and his team the more dynamic and less conservative cars from BMWas explained by Hooydonk: “If one type of customer is looking for a beautiful, timeless car, of course we will design it. But there are also customers who are looking for something like an X6, which is certainly polarizing: either you hate it or you love it. This approach wouldn’t work with the Series 3 or Series 5, because they sell in high volumes, so it’s clear that no single solution can be offered“. But some cars – particularly the SUV XMand Concept 4, with his wildly enlarged kidney vents– lacked the elegant dynamism that has been a hallmark of Munich for half a century. “Actually, all the negative comments show that we have achieved what we wanted,” Dukec told CAR in 2022. “Obviously, It would be nice to always receive compliments. But whether the comments bother me or not depends on the car. In this case [el XM] they don’t. But If people called a man ugly Serie 5 it would be bad. We know that M customers want a kidney grille, because they often want to stand out. We are not doing this just for our own good. We don’t sit here and think about doing something provocative. We do it because we listen. And of course our sales figures are improving“.
On the other hand, Max Missoni’s hands are very safe. A VW designer for 10 years after graduating from the Royal College of Art, he joined Volvo in 2012. The rebirth of the Swedish brand thanks to Geely is a textbook example of how to breathe new life into a faltering brand, and Missoni’s work with Thomas Ingenlath (current CEO of Polestar), was fundamental to your success. From the sophisticated and monolithic XC90 to the attractive V90 Estate and the successful XC40, Missoni and Ingenlath made Scandinavian style was chic again.
His most recent position as head of design for Polestar has accelerated your experience. Fully immersed in the brand, his insight and keen intellect have influenced everything from the infotainment system’s fonts and themed colors to the engineering of the 4 coupe/SUV, in which The elimination of a normal rear window is due to the desire to reconsider old commitments and make brave decisions. Make no mistake, Missoni is not a nostalgic conservative but, given its track record, its models are likely to be beautiful first and daring later.
