[530iDriver]

[Falafel Combo]

Karim is the bomb diggity! Look at the f30/f80.





Now look at me. Now look back the f80.





Now look at what we get after Karim left ...

[Gamb1t]

First Hyundai poached the Audi designer. Now you see trapezoidal grilles and angry headlight Hyundais. Seeing how many people seem to like angry cars, now it's Kia's turn to poach BMW's designer. Will we see kidney grilles and gesture controls on future KIA's?

[Mr.Marvelous]

Originally Posted by werdn

BMW needs Bangle back again to revamp the design

I couldn't agree more!

There is a serious problem with the design of the new BMW's. They don't have any coherence between model lines anymore and it's driving me crazy. They're trying so much new stuff its all hit or miss. Most of them are a miss.

The G30 5 series was a conservatively beautiful evolutionary design. Then they decided to go nuts with the kidney grill on the new 7 series which looks great IMO. But it made the G30 and the new X3 look old! Why the heck would you undermine your existing cars?!?!

The new Z4 is a flop. It's looking OK but replace the BMW badge and you can sell it as any other brand you want. No respect for heritage at all.

The new 3 series also looks way off compared to both the 5 and the 7. Just why?

The new 1 series is a total disaster. They turned a cool sporty hatchback into a fat city commuter for women.

I switched to Audi last year and was regretting my decision. Audi's are nowhere near nice to drive as BMW's. But with the latest design fiasco I start to think that my A5 Sportback is looking way nicer than it's BMW counterparts.

And what's with the fugly new speedometer? It looks like it was taken out of a Peugeot or something... Jesus.

I'm really sad where BMW design is heading. They killed the angel eyes, they killed the classic kidney grill, they murdered the Hoffmeister kink... The 7 has super sharp lines whereas a 3 series looks like a fat blob.

[upsidedownfunnel]

Originally Posted by Darth One

Not surprised at this or any of the other defections. Hyundai/Kia have been a company whose history has been derivative of more established car companies in every way.

That's not fully meant as an insult, btw - they've really advanced the Korean auto industry really fast in part with this strategy, but they've not been too subtle about ripping off others' original designs, ideas, and now talent

Talent doesn't belong to any company. In our market, a person can choose to work wherever they want if a company is willing to pay money for it.

Did you ever wonder why German car makers have similar features. American car makers have similar features and design elements? And why Japanese car makers have similar design features and elements? British cars? Because they all copy off each other. The Korean car industry is fairly new and they've recently started making higher quality cars. They have the benefit of existing in a global car market and their citizens have access to a lot of different cars and have the money to buy them. So it makes sense that they will "borrow" (or you can use the word steal if it makes you feel better) ideas from many different manufacturers. You even see now that German carmakers copy ideas from Japanese cars, Japanese from German (especially in the earlier years of Lexus/Infiniti), etc.

All this talk of copying and "stealing" talent is ridiculous. We are the consumer. Unless you have some vested interest in these companies, all we should care about is if there is more competition (a good thing for us). Prices go down and cars just get better.

I know there are a lot of fragile egos that buy BMWs. So it's only natural that a forum full of keyboard warriors will find any way to dig on companies like Kia. But y'all don't have to be so transparent about it.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel

Talent doesn't belong to any company. In our market, a person can choose to work wherever they want if a company is willing to pay money for it.

Did you ever wonder why German car makers have similar features. American car makers have similar features and design elements? And why Japanese car makers have similar design features and elements? British cars? Because they all copy off each other. The Korean car industry is fairly new and they've recently started making higher quality cars. They have the benefit of existing in a global car market and their citizens have access to a lot of different cars and have the money to buy them. So it makes sense that they will "borrow" (or you can use the word steal if it makes you feel better) ideas from many different manufacturers. You even see now that German carmakers copy ideas from Japanese cars, Japanese from German (especially in the earlier years of Lexus/Infiniti), etc.

All this talk of copying and "stealing" talent is ridiculous. We are the consumer. Unless you have some vested interest in these companies, all we should care about is if there is more competition (a good thing for us). Prices go down and cars just get better.

I know there are a lot of fragile egos that buy BMWs. So it's only natural that a forum full of keyboard warriors will find any way to dig on companies like Kia. But y'all don't have to be so transparent about it.

as i said, i don't mean derivative as an insult. although i do tend to admire people or companies who are more original and pioneering, so from that perspective i respect Hyundai/Kia a little less.

Hyundai and Kia have a long history of copying design elements from other companies. you can look at all the photos of their cars if you don't believe me. so now i guess they're stepping up and hiring the designer, instead of copying his designs after they come out.

finally, what is this bullshit about fragile egos? what exactly would hurt a BMW fanboi's ego here? that an ex-BMW employee will start designing Kias 6-8 years from now that look like the BMW's of today? it's rich to see someone start transferring bias and blasting insults at 'keyboard warriors' from...behind his keyboard.

[upsidedownfunnel]

Originally Posted by Darth One

as i said, i don't mean derivative as an insult. although i do tend to admire people or companies who are more original and pioneering, so from that perspective i respect Hyundai/Kia a little less.

Hyundai and Kia have a long history of copying design elements from other companies. you can look at all the photos of their cars if you don't believe me. so now i guess they're stepping up and hiring the designer, instead of copying his designs after they come out.

finally, what is this bullshit about fragile egos? what exactly would hurt a BMW fanboi's ego here? that an ex-BMW employee will start designing Kias 6-8 years from now that look like the BMW's of today? it's rich to see someone start transferring bias and blasting insults at 'keyboard warriors' from...behind his keyboard.

I wasn't directing the fragile ego remark directly at you. It's just a general observation on this thread and many others like it relating to cars like Genesis. It basically boils down to badge snobbery.

And like I said, everyone copies off each other. Lexus was accused of copying the S class in their early years. It just takes enough time for a brand to develop an image. Before that, it's going to seem like they copied off everyone else. It's hard to make unique designs that will be well accepted by the public.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel

I wasn't directing the fragile ego remark directly at you. It's just a general observation on this thread and many others like it relating to cars like Genesis. It basically boils down to badge snobbery.

And like I said, everyone copies off each other. Lexus was accused of copying the S class in their early years. It just takes enough time for a brand to develop an image. Before that, it's going to seem like they copied off everyone else. It's hard to make unique designs that will be well accepted by the public.

ah ok, my apologies. a little embarrassed to have made a bad assumption there.

i don't really disagree with your first two paragraphs. the worst i'll say about them is i find them creatively lame. but undeniably successful.

[GRUESOM3]

Ladies and gentlemen, the front grills will now be getting smaller.

[bobloblaw]

Originally Posted by Falafel Combo

Karim is the bomb diggity! Look at the f30/f80.





Now look at me. Now look back the f80.





Now look at what we get after Karim left ...

The current 3er and upcoming 4er and M3/4 designs were finalized in 2016-2017 and were surely worked on well before that. His fingerprints will be on those designs.

[The Choosey begger]

That's great, I hope he takes the oversized grills with him to Kia.

[PichaDis11]

Originally Posted by Mr.Marvelous

I couldn't agree more!

There is a serious problem with the design of the new BMW's. They don't have any coherence between model lines anymore and it's driving me crazy. They're trying so much new stuff its all hit or miss. Most of them are a miss.

The G30 5 series was a conservatively beautiful evolutionary design. Then they decided to go nuts with the kidney grill on the new 7 series which looks great IMO. But it made the G30 and the new X3 look old! Why the heck would you undermine your existing cars?!?!

The new Z4 is a flop. It's looking OK but replace the BMW badge and you can sell it as any other brand you want. No respect for heritage at all.

The new 3 series also looks way off compared to both the 5 and the 7. Just why?

The new 1 series is a total disaster. They turned a cool sporty hatchback into a fat city commuter for women.

I switched to Audi last year and was regretting my decision. Audi's are nowhere near nice to drive as BMW's. But with the latest design fiasco I start to think that my A5 Sportback is looking way nicer than it's BMW counterparts.

And what's with the fugly new speedometer? It looks like it was taken out of a Peugeot or something... Jesus.

I'm really sad where BMW design is heading. They killed the angel eyes, they killed the classic kidney grill, they murdered the Hoffmeister kink... The 7 has super sharp lines whereas a 3 series looks like a fat blob.

Ehh emm.. Dare I say this as some form of defense; but, this whole design scattering came from consumers (Us if you may), who were complaining that they could not tell the models apart. Also Kinda the reason they also went with the even numbers/ coupes and odds/ sedan thingys in effort to further differentiate the line up of each series. At least you could say BMW listened to someone?

[DML]

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

Damn, the Koreans are really good at poaching these German engineers and designers!

True, but the ones they're taking.....

[Race_Doc11]

He is not missed ...

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by anglo

That's great, I hope he takes the oversized grills with him to Kia.

That's interesting. What makes you say that?

[jordan35i]

Kia should make a sub-brand with a different name. People would be more inclined to purchase.

For their performance models I mean.

[yco]

Hyundai got an M guy as well.. reason why there are such cars like i30N now..

[Falafel Combo]

Originally Posted by bobloblaw

The current 3er and upcoming 4er and M3/4 designs were finalized in 2016-2017 and were surely worked on well before that. His fingerprints will be on those designs.

Or maybe that’s why he left? In protest?

[martin mustang]

BMW design got worst after he left, looks like he was spot on for not accepting the new direction setup by Adrian, no wonder why Merc claimed the number one spot and BMW sales are down.
Between the X7 and the Garmisch Bertone Concept, I hope the folks behind the 8 and the 3 series do manage to save BMW from this new truly ugly direction, I guess we wait and see the new 4 series.

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

He left BMW in 2017 for Infiniti and got booted from there recently due to reorg after the Carlos Ghosn scandal.

Now he is in Kia

I like the guy but he doesn't strike me as the most brilliant designer after his failed tenure to turn around Infiniti as he pledged to do 2 years ago.

[JustChris]

To my mind the man that brought BROWN cars to BMW.

The X5 actually launched in $h1t brown.

[dsocold]

bring back the bangle era

[BMWILUVU]

He did a great job on the F-series. I think it is the finest looking line-up BMW has produced and much better than the Bangle designs.
https://www.bmwblog.com/2012/01/30/e...terior-design/