BMW car design has already been at the receiving end of harsh criticism. Remember Chris Bangle and his bold experiments? Well, the company is currently experimenting with a highly controversial front grille design – and wants to make them even larger, despite the backlash.
Speaking in an interview, BMW Chief Designer Adrian van Hooydonk said the company strives for a simpler, cleaner appearance of its cars. To reach this goal, the designers are experimenting with ways to reduce the number of visually discernible exterior elements while emphasizing the roles of the remaining larger elements.
He gave the BMW Concept 4 as an example: the coupe looks minimalistic, but attractive, with the enormous radiator grille drawing most of the attention to itself. According to van Hooydonk, this bold design serves to highlight the company’s ambition to constantly evolve and move forward, no matter what.
BMW cars have been growing increasingly huge ‘nostrils’ ever since the X7 SUV came out. The updated 7 Series sedan/saloon debuted with a grille some called disproportionate, but the Concept 4 overshadowed them all. Based on the latest spy shots, the upcoming 5 Series facelift is not going to make an exception, either.