Chris Bangle on his way out?

[m3f_Sammyzuko_f27405666b]

I read this on Bimmerforums. Not sure if it's true, but if it is then my prayers have been answered.

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=167060&perpage=25&pagen umber=1

[m3f_M3_Dave]

little late buddy



http://216.118.86.224/m3forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21547

[m3f_Drifter_23d8df4bc6]

Dave most of us E36 people don't go into the E46 forum.

[m3f_96M3Power_4547fc3d60]

Thank god he's heading out. It was a sad day when I saw the new 5 series. However, the 6 series is a beautiful work of art. In all the madness of the bmw revamp, came what is most definately the most beautiful bmw ever. So the new z4, 5 series, 7 series, and x3 have paid off in bringing us the new 6 heh. Bye Chris Bangle... thanks for ruining the BMW look.

[m3f_DesmoBob_e0fc43b145]

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~roberto/bangle.jpg

[m3f_PurpleM3Pursuit]

lol.. chris bangle can kiss my ass.. he ruined the bmw heritage for a year or so.. i can't wait untilo they get back to there old styles..

[m3f_Todd Templ_5b8abfbfc4]

The bad part is, the damage is done. And it'll take a quite a while for it to be undone. Here's my advise for his replacement.



Cars are not a fashion item, they are cars. They can be ugly or they can be pretty, but first and foremost they need to be cars.



Get rid of the "cat woman's mask" headlights. There have only been two variations of attractive headlights in the history of automobiles, round or rectangular. Sometimes a triangle can look good, but only if they follow the lines of the rest of the car.



Get rid of oddly incorporated front turn signals. Put them back to the outside of the headlights, where they belong.



Make the grilles look like a trademark again. Stop making them wider, rounder or angled diagonally in any way. All attempts to do this have diluted the trademark look and wind up looking like a Jaguar at best, and a Pontiac at it's worst.



Tailights should not continue down the sides of the car. No matter how this "design feature" has been attempted, it always just looks odd. Stop the tailights at the tail.



Stop the square styling lines on the sides of rounded cars, and rounded styling "features" on sides of square cars. It doesn't look right and never will.



Get rid of iDrive and anything like it that doesn't make the car perform better and doesn't allow the driver to get on with the business of driving as efficiently as possible. One menu and three submenus are not as efficient or intuative as one knob. We've all seen LCD screens & touchscreens, we all own computers, Palms and cellular phones. The "wow factor" of these items has worn off for most of us, and I don't think most of us want these as part of our driving experience. One exception would be an MP3/4 capable CD player that can display ID3 tags. Not very high tech or expensive, but none of the "high end" automakers "get it" yet.



Just make me a nice, wedgy, cleanly styled car. Keep the fender well gap to a minimum. Throw your money and resources at making it faster, more efficient, more reliable and keep it reasonably affordable. Heck, I'd be happy as a puppy with two peters just to have a 2/3 scale 8-series with an M3 engine in it!

[m3f_Black328iS_4f40b49a23]

yeah bangle was way too much of a damn artsy hippie...screw him

[m3f_redheadfred]

see, the thing is tho, if you don't change in the competitive car world, you're gonna get left behind. obviously there are some exceptions to this (like chrysler starting the SUV craze and being left behind anyways) but BMW had to move somewhere. Obviously, if they didn't change anything, all of us enthusiasts would be happy, but their ability to attract new customers may have hurt them. personally, i don't think the new 7 is that bad, especially after driving one. yes, the tailights are questionable, as with the 5, but its change. we'll see what people have to say about the new 5 when the M comes out

[m3f_Angella_c036ec6b5f]

Jaguar at best, and a Pontiac



wow, that is EXACTLY what I said the other day, only to get a confused look at a smile... glad someone knows what I'm talking about : )

[m3f_Todd Templ_5b8abfbfc4]

They just need to go back to evolution instead of revolution (because that has been revolting, ha!).



There are certain qualities that people look for in the cars they desire. Beetle buyers don't want a minivan. SUV buyers don't want good taste or common sense. And BMW buyers didn't want oddball styling and electronic doohickeys.



Honda updates the Civic, and Volkwagen updates the Golf/Jetta, and they are instantly recognizable as newer Civics, Golfs and Jettas. They get better performance with each update, and they sell like hotcakes. Who was BMW trying to attract with the Banglemobiles? Geeky, artsy types? Is that a big, lucrative market?



BMW had a very lucrative, loyal group of enthusiasts and fans. Keep the loyalists happy and all you have to do is attract the fans. The fans don't want goofy styling, they want better prices or incentives.



Change for improvement's sake, not just for change's sake. I think all the Banglemobiles have the same engines as the models they replace, don't they? And did anyone need iDrive or active steering?

[m3f_redheadfred]

the point about the newer civics and VW's is very true. they are easily recognizable as newer versions. however, with the active steering as an example, many people who have drivin the new 5 have LOVED this feature. I'm not saying that bangle is right in EVERY one of his changes. and no, changing for changes sake is not going to do good things. but seriously, when you look at an older 7 series, don't they just look reallllly dated and old?



one thing that people used to buy BMW's for was their exclusiveness. if you give everyone better pricing and incentives, that aspect of the car will be taken away. some might see this as a good thing because whenever we take our BMW somewhere, we get looks and what not...

[m3f_Todd Templ_5b8abfbfc4]

BMW has done a lot to dilute their own exclusivity already. SUVs diluted their ability to brag about making the best driving machines. The 1-series (or 2-series, whatever) will be to attract a less well-heeled buyer.



I just don't understand the "world domination" ethic that seems to have siezed so many companies of late. Do what you do well, and if that isn't enough cooperate with a comapny that does something else well.



The SUVs should be Rovers. The 1-series should be a Cooper variation. And Chris Bangle should be looking for work. I used to brag about Porsche and Saab's ability to focus on the task at hand, but with Porsche's SUV abomination and Saab's rebadging of a Subaru, they are loosing it too.



BTW, when I see the last generation 7-series, I think that it's a beautifully proportioned, stately car that will look good for years and years. It looks like it's audience wanted it to.

[m3f_M3Trav]

...unfortunately it's the world we live in. If these companies can't be profitable, they will disappear. Porsche is a perfect example: They were not healthy financially and were at the risk of being acquired. Imagine if a company like ford bought porsche...that car would disappear as we know. The Cayanne(sp?) has "saved" that company. Ultimately it comes down to the consumers.

[m3f_04M3blur_1ceee0bbd5]

Two words: WOO HOO!! :beer: