New directions in design: OEM designers discuss the risks and rewards of changing brand image

Automotive Industries, Dec, 2003 by Gary Witzenburg

"The risks are always there," adds BMW's Bangle, "but at the same time, our company believes very strongly that it has to do the right thing. The right thing is setting yourself up for the curve, getting your product palette in place as the world economy changes and shifts, as markets open up, as technologies make themselves available, and as customer needs refocus on some issues as opposed to others ... and then, wow, you've got all the parts in place. These are very, important things to remember as you're doing risk assessment, and this is what we're trying to do when we propose new design concepts.

"We're not doing this to freak anybody out. We're doing it because we believe these are the best solutions to fulfill these upcoming challenges. And we do our homework to make sure we can say,

Bangle believes that when the process leads to a major success, credit goes to the team that did the work. And when there is criticism, "it should be targeted at me ... that's part of my job. I assumed this responsibility. I'm the one who told the team, 'This is the interpretation we're getting from the Board,' and I'm the one who's making the needed decisions along the process. A design director has to do his job, and in the end, when anyone has an issue, it's natural that there should be a place where the buck stops."