Chris Bangle – someone say ”Or you love, or hate him”. I admire him!

As the head of design for BMW Chris became one of the most famous – and reviled – auto designers in automotive history. Recently he abruptly resigned after 16 years with the German automaker. His daring designs have affected the industry, and made spurning rivals to follow in emulating his distinctive style.

On the Icsid World Design Congress in Singapore, Chris presented his work and thoughts about Personal Emotional Mobility 2050. He explained how it is a catalyst; a phenomenon that engages and inspires creativity and productivity within society. It was a very inspiring lecture, and I had the pleasure to meet him during my time I spend on the congress.

In my opinion, Chris is an open minded, daring designer contributing to a creative approach to the future of, not only cars, but more interesting – auto mobility. His geniality and strong innovation in automotive design are often compared to his controversy in some solutions. One of them is the BMW GINA concept car from 2008, see video below.