I think its the new 1-series car that http://www.cult1.com have been talking about. Its a 1-series but not just a 2 door version, an actual full bodied coupe version of it that has been spied there in a convertable form

I really like the way Bangle does the wagons/hatchbacks… his designs seem to make more sense in those forms than they do in standard car form.

I predict it will be another stylistic nightmare from Chris Bangle and his minions. Great engineering + great engines + great dynamics still cannot cover the lack of style of all new BMWs.

Some ppl use every opportunity to bash Bangle….starting to get really annoying.

your entitled to your own opinion but from what i’ve seen bmw is doing very well in the quarterly reports despite what people have been saying about his designs. As for the new model i think it is probably the SUV/minivan thats suppose to compete with the R-class.

Its gonna be the V series. A Crossover aimed at the R class…

And a crying shame for all BMW lovers

VDub, yes everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but what’s annoying me is ppl bash Bangle on every thread, when it’s appropirate, and when it’s not -> news about BMW engine, ppl bash Bangle, news about new transmission, ppl bash Bangle, news about any new idea, ad or vehicle, ppl still bash Bangle… you get the idea. My point is: let’s discuss what’s being discussed, and not turn every topic and thread into Bangle-bashing. There are hundreds of other designers, engineers, executives and etc at BMW.

It’s probably a car…

THANK YOU Northeasterner. Damn straight.

Fine, but since this is a thread about some new design:

Bangle is horrific and should be shot. Seriously, if BMW only had Mercedes design department, it truly would be the best car in the world. Until that time: the new designs are ugly.

And if more people are buying the car its only because the designs have gotten more common, and thus appeal to more commoners. Though, BMW never struck me as a ‘commoners’ car.

Jon.

Let me take THIS opportunity to bash Bangle. This guy has trashed the BMW design language. BMWs were gorgeous until he put his hands on them. I remember when the 3, the 5, and the 7 were on the Car and Driver 10Best in the same year. It was dominance. I’ve never heard so many people whine about how ugly BMWs have been in the last five years. For all of us that were so passionate about BMW, the guy who ruined them is SO FRUSTRATING that we need to vent whenever possible. The obese 7 with its eyebrows and Bangle butt makes me LIVID. The 5 used to look like it was designed by God. The new one looks like a Pontiac. The 6 has that Buick-like Nerf ball fatness. There is no new BMW car left for me to buy. The line has been picked off, one by one. It really makes me HOPPING MAD. I HATE THAT GUY. That’s why we vent.

Its the British autoshow so it makes sense for the 1 series cabrio to debut there. The reason I say that is because the UK market is traditionaly very solid for BMW’s 1-series and Z-series cars which have done poorly elsewhere, so it makes sense to debut that car there. A V-series would be better for america

Hugo,

I could not agree more. I was all set to buy a 3-series when it was time to change my car, and it drove amazingly well, but the prospect of looking at the front of that car every morning made me cringe. I instead went with an A4. Is it as fun to drive? Nope. But I can stand looking at it (ok, and it has a much better interior than the 3).

Personally, my indictments towards BMW’s current designs are real and true because I have always been a BMW fan and understand what I am talking about. I’m not treating this only from a design point of view, but also based on the personal thinking of Bangle himself regarding his ‘ideas’ regarding car design.

Jon.

Chris Bangle gets bashed quite a bit for his design scheme. I figure he needed someone on his side on here.
The styling, love it or hate it, does have presence. Name any other car that has as much visual impact as the 5 series. I’ll admit, the 7 & 5 series were questionable when they came out, but over time, you start to see the sculpting that took place to create such an incredible shape.
I think they are some of the best looking cars on the road. BMW is a forward thinking company (idrive anyone?). The styling is just ahead of it’s time.

7 and 5 were terrible. over time the 5 turned out to be ok and the 3 front as well. but the 7? its ugly no matter where you look at it. time hasnt helped it and neither has 2 refreshes. they really screwed that one up. and the 1 coupe? who cares? the 1 series sedan is already a royal waste of money and now the coupe is going to be more expensive. V series? wow…hows it look to compete against a car (R class) that pretty much failed.

i agree with jeff. If you lived in the 70’s and you saw a 2006 model car you’d probably think it looks god awful. Bangle has the backing of the entire board of directors as well as other bmw leaders so expect to see more of his designs.

Can’t help but agree. It is better to have some cars which can be remembered rather than having cars which doesn’t offend any one but looks as exciting as watching paint dry! Chris Bangle tried hard to be fresh. This is not something many can say in this industry currently. I still can’t figure out the X3. But 6,7,1 are okay. I love the 3 Series Coupé too… The facelifted 7 looks much better than the new S-Class whose wheel arches reminds me of the old Focus and whose interiors is nothing but the 7’s interior polished! I wouldn’t call the Z4 sexy, but its definitely cool with almost perfect profile view. They must continue supporting this guy. He could style some cars which everybody talks about…

By the way, when was the last time anybody remembered the recently launched Mercedes B-Class!

As per the Bangle bashers…more specifically those who are fed up with it….

JOIN THE BANDWAGON!!! This same thing happens on a MUCH larger scale with anything GM, Ford, or simply anything American.

on that note… I think that BMW’s are some of the ugliest vehicles built today

“Seriously, if BMW only had Mercedes design department, it truly would be the best car in the world.”

Oh, you mean the Mercedes design department that copied the 7-Series Bangle Butt and slapped it onto the S-Class?

Doogs,

The back of the S-class looks good. And it wasn’t a complete rip-off, it was a variation (a large variation) on a theme started by BMW, the difference is, whereas the back of the 7 series looks bloated, awkward, and looks like it came from a completely different car, the back of S-Class looks well proportioned and its perfectly well with the rest of the body.

Mercedes current design studio is so good that they could take a crappy idea like the Bangle Butt and make it look good. That’s talent.

Jon.

Probably going to be a MiniVan

When will BMW and Mercedes Benz ever produce an AWD version for any of its series (especially top ones) and stop being haughty on their past glories? Both car models should borrow a leaf from Audi, Honda and Lexus top vehicles’ series. The notion of “high-class” status sedans have already begun to become blurred or non-issue especially regarding durability, technical sophistication, economic running and price.
Both BMW and Mercedes Benz should improve and join the AWD club.

Patrick A.O.

Go Bangle… Gotta say he has infused much needed style into the cars… I have always loved BMWs even the older ones but I think the styling was something they needed they were begining to look too much alike… You couldn’t tell the difference in the cars in the late 80’s early 90’s… Can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeve now….

I’m with Jeff. You guys who claim to know what you’re talking about because you’ve always been a big BMW fan— What do you have to say about the fact that everyone at BMW is on Bangle’s side? They all support him. I’d venture to say they know waaaaaay more about BMW than you know. Thats not to say their old cars weren’t near perfect for their time, because I believe they were. But I for one welcome the change from their old style of design. Not because it wasn’t great, which it was, but because BMW is a company that revolutionizes, and I am glad they are in the midst of a design revolution. They are changing the way people design cars. They are changing the way people think about cars. And their cars are undeniably great.

YES. They don’t have the same lines as every model that came before them. GOOD. Its time to move on. They looked good, but how about something better? Thats where I see this going. Maybe the designs are ahead of their time. I don’t necessarily like all of them, but I like the 7 and I like the 6. I also like the Z4. Their cars don’t look anything like any other cars— thats fantastic!

Patrick, what are you talking about in regards to Benz and BMW not having AWD? Wake up man!

Well put BAMF

Chris Bangle is an excellent designer, but not for a traditional brand as BMW. He should get kicked out, and slapped in the face, and then move to Europe’s Seat (a sporty brand that I think has a design language identical to Bangle’s) or to Korea’s Hyundai, where he would really make a difference.

Just my 2 cents im guessing the it will be the new Z-10 (Z-8 replacement) and Chris Bangle DID NOT design the new BMWs it was Adrian von Hooydonk. Didnt like them at first, but the refreshed models look much better and their quarterly and yearly sales numbers prove others must like them too.Ever notice other manufactures are copying these designs.

Perhaps you’re right Toasta Mista (except about the kicked out and slapped in the face). Maybe Bangle would be better suited at a different company that didn’t already have a well established style/tradition of design cars. I don’t necessarily think that he should move to a lesser brand though. I’d actually like to see a car designed entirely by him. I know he designed all those new BMWs, but he had to work with what BMW already had, and change it only a little at a time. The Z4 is a completely original design from him (if i’m not mistaken) and it’s beautiful in my opinion– very different from anything it would compete with. I’d like to see him design a brand new car from scratch. It would be very interesting to see.

“I’m with Jeff. You guys who claim to know what you’re talking about because you’ve always been a big BMW fan— What do you have to say about the fact that everyone at BMW is on Bangle’s side? They all support him. I’d venture to say they know waaaaaay more about BMW than you know. Thats not to say their old cars weren’t near perfect for their time, because I believe they were. But I for one welcome the change from their old style of design. Not because it wasn’t great, which it was, but because BMW is a company that revolutionizes, and I am glad they are in the midst of a design revolution. They are changing the way people design cars. They are changing the way people think about cars. And their cars are undeniably great.
YES. They don’t have the same lines as every model that came before them. GOOD. Its time to move on. They looked good, but how about something better? Thats where I see this going. Maybe the designs are ahead of their time. I don’t necessarily like all of them, but I like the 7 and I like the 6. I also like the Z4. Their cars don’t look anything like any other cars— thats fantastic!”
Comment by BAMF

A big AMEN to that!
… you go boy!

I think Bangle’s design is the next logical and neccessary step. German design is very geometric. But after decades of straight lines it gets very old. So the next logical step is more complex geometry such as the convexes and concaves that the design department under Chris Bangle’s directioin now is using. I also think it makes for a much meaner looking car that BMW has been going for.

Bangle is only the design leader of the BMW group.
Joji Nagashima: E36 3 series, Z3, E39 5 series, E90 3 Series
Boyke Boyer: E38 7 series
Klaus Kapitza: E31 8 series
Geoff Velasco: X3 (Designworks)
Chris Chapman: X5 (Designworks)
Anders Warming: Z4 (Designworks)
Henrik Fisker: Z8
Kevin Rice: new 1 series
Erik Goplen: E46 3 series (Designworks/USA)
David Arcangeli: E60 5 series

So as you see you cant blame Bangle for much because these are the guys that made your favorite cars and then apparently ruined them.

Anyway I think its the new V Series or some CLS type competitor that BMW is making.

I think It’s gonna be a new motorcycle, with a Bangle butt of course.

Spin it whichever way you want, but there’s no denying that BMW is doing better than ever before since the introduction of the new design theme. Your comments of “I hate Bangle. He ruined BMW” go out the door when you look at the hard figures – record sales of BMW, outselling MB, etc.

Sure, you might not like him, and hey, at the end of the day, BMW don’t care – they’ve got people lining up to buy the latest “Bangled” BMW.

As for this British Motorshow debut – has anyone come up with the genius idea of the Mille Miglia concept being shown at the show? Hmm?

Actually the old BMW styles needed a crash design course to make sure the entire line didn’t become dated. They were starting to look very 70-80′ish and it was the 90s into 2000. BMW had to lead, not stay the same, not follow. So I give Chris that credit.

However, I am not a fan of his designs and would have preferred another direction. The “Cirrus” trunk & tail-lights just kills me everytime I see it on a 7 series.

But now look… Toyota & the rest copy the bulging hood and trunk. Here in China I see the Toyota Reiz all the time, what a copy of the key design ingrediants.

[...] BMW presenterà un nuovo modello al British Motor Show di fine luglio. Sarà la prima volta che la casa bavarese presenta un nuovo modello in Gran Bretagna. Non dovrebbe essere nè la nuova Serie 3 Coupè, nè la prossima generazione della Mini. Tra le papabili, per la rivista inglese, ci sono la M6 Cabrio e la Serie 1 a tre porte. Altra possibilità, la X3 Facelift (secondo il calendario delle prossime uscite). Via | Leftlane PUBBLICITÀ PUBBLICITÀ [...]

[...] It shouldn’t be the new 3-Series Coupè (already announced) or the new Mini Mk II (too soon ?). Amongst the possibilities, according to What Car are the M6 Cabrio and the three door 1-Series. The X3 Facelift is expected soon, so it might be a possibility too. Via | Leftlane Advertising Advertising [...]

How about the new 7-series? Or a new super car (like a better Z8 o ra new M1)? Maybe the new 3-series convertible? How about the 1-series convertible?

I am very much on Hugo’s side. Bangle has made it impossible for me to buy one of their new cars. Look at Land Rover. Look at Rolls-Royce(of all things). They’re working with nice straight lines. The human body doesn’t need to be upgraded by making your eyeballs triangular JUST BECAUSE TIME HAS PASSED, and so on…

Andre Neves, the very first 318 introduced was a high water mark in body style. Stay with that idea.

Sh.Yoon, people who make their decisions based only on the hard numbers have no soul. Those are the people now buying an ugly Bangle car. Thank you. You just hung yourself.