October 2008
Among gearheads and even casual auto observers, BMW design chief Chris Bangle is a lightning rod.
He sparks passionate responses - and not all of them are friendly.
He's been called "reckless," "a failure," the champion of a BMW design language that features "hideous wedges and triangles" and "flame surfacing" that has "led to revolt among BMW drivers and among Internet forums," as one reader recently put it to me.
Oh, yes, the American-born design boss has his detractors.
In fact, at one time, more than 14,000 people had signed an online petition to have him fired.
BMW has never admitted it, but it is clear that in answer to the critics the company toned down some of the extreme design details in a 2005 reworking of the 7-Series car introduced in 2001.
Bangle weathered that storm and remains reluctant to discuss these matters in much detail.
Besides, he has more admirers than critics.
For instance, just last year Bangle and his BMW stylists won the prestigious Red Dot award as Design Team of the Year.
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