Car "Dude" Evan

Issue 5 - 25 December 2003

BMW and Chris Bangle

Los Angeles is not New York. We don't have any major companies headquartered here; but it's a great place to live and see movies. Yes, the only real industry in LA is the production of motion pictures. In LA, when you ask someone if they are "in the business" or "in the industry" it means exactly one thing: You are a cog in the money machine known collectively as Hollywood".

In Hollywood, everything is derivative. When you pitch your TV show, you have to say: "It's a cross between Seinfeld and The Sopranos". When you pitch your movie or write your script, the only way a "suit" will understand what you are saying is when you describe it in terms of something they understand like: "Gone with the Wind meets Star Wars". You have to understand that the "suit" hasn't read the script; he's only read the treatment page given to him by a minion, if that.

The point is that car styling is so damn derivative and "safe" that you can't look at a Buick and figure out if it's a Regal or a Century or LeSabre or Park Avenue. I often mistake a Toyota Corolla for a Camry. I mistake a Lexus ES330 for its Camry cousin. It's boring and I'm tired of hearing that derivative styling is necessary to get maximum sales and preserve "brand identity". Why does every car have to look like everything else in its brand and for that matter, like many other cars from different brands? Sure, I understand that integrating the hallowed three-pointed star into a hood design or making sure that everyone knows it's a Mercedes is important to the overall brand. That's important to every brand. Most manufacturers are able to create fantastic show cars that accomplish all these goals; however, when a show car makes it to production, the end results are usually very disappointing. The very things that made these show cars so coveted is that they were different.

The last generation of BMWs looked exactly like they were all cut from the same sausage, but different lengths. The current generation of Mercedes looks the same way. Until the hideous Cayenne came along, and put a "new face" on Porsche, the Boxter and 911 looked almost identical from the front. Ok, so the Board of Directors of BMW AG was scratching their collective heads and came up with a good idea. Let's make our cars distinctive and unique. Chris Bangle was elevated to head of design and given a mission to make all new BMWs distinctive and unique.

Now, as I understand things, the Quandt family controls approximately 46% of BMW stock. Under German law, that means the Quandt family controls BMW. Period. The family also controls the Board. They clearly exercised that control when they fired Wolfgang Reitzle and Bernd Pistchestrieder after the Rover fiasco. This "insane' new design direction was initiated by the Board and each car's final design is approved by the Board. It just doesn't make sense that the Quandt family would willingly and consciously throw away a multi-billion dollar fortune after building it for so long.

BMW has an enviable position in the car market. Mercedes junked (rightfully so) its old slogan "Engineered like no other car in the world" because, well, it isn't. BMW still claims to be "The Ultimate Driving Machine" and arguably, it still is. In the past 25 years, BMW has built a strong, global empire around great driving machines. That blue and white propeller badge has grown to symbolize brilliant engine technology, high performance, incredible driving dynamics, luxury and prestige. Some of these qualities are very subjective and, as such, are more in the eye of the beholder or the right foot of the driver.

This is my point about Chris Bangle and his designs. You love them or hate them. They aren't derivative. It's an all new design direction. It sure puts BMW in the minds of buyers and from what I can see, lots of people have bought his designs. Mr. Bangle graduated from Art Center, right here in Pasadena. Art Center is considered one of the best design schools in the world. Many of its graduates go on to important careers in automotive design. Yes, from the interviews, he does come across as an egomaniac; but so what? I wouldn't mind having his job either. I have read countless articles in car magazines with journalists wringing their hands and crying that Mr. Bangle is in the process of destroying their pet car company, BMW. Oh please, get over it! Change is inevitable and desirable.

I, for one, am tired of car companies playing it safe. A few car companies, notably Cadillac and Nissan/Infiniti have taken a very different design direction and both companies have been handsomely rewarded by the marketplace. Yes, I understand that the investment in new product these days is staggering. However, I think the market, at least here in LA, craves something different. LA is always the leader in accepting new styles and unique automobiles. Let's look at the list of "Bangle-ized" cars that are on the road now.

1. The 7 is about two years old now. It has sold very well in the U.S. It outsold the S-Class in 2002 and the numbers are just about flipped this year. The 7 is everywhere in LA. This car has presence. It turns heads. It's masculine. I like the "eyebrows" above the headlights. From the side, the eyebrows lead me all the way to the hind end. Even the side markers on the front fenders sweep back to make the car look fast. The large wheels and the stance of the car exude the feeling of large, luxury and masculine. The big criticism has been the trunk and its integration into the overall design. At first, I too was a bit put off by the trunk design, but as I began to see the 7 every day on the road and in different colors, I have become accustomed to its rear. It simply all works for me now. BMW even knows how to dress up the car when you pop for the flagship 760Li. The first time I saw the big V12 BMW, I just knew it was the "big one." Maybe it was the slightly bigger and different wheels; maybe it was some trim pieces. I just don't know. It oozed class. While I know it's not physically bigger than the 745Li, the few differences were enough to differentiate it. I saw the 760Li in silver and I couldn't help but think of the Roman god, Mercury, with his winged hat and look of speed. As far as the interior goes, it's top grade. Only the A8 has an interior as nice as this. It puts the S-Class Merc to shame. I still dislike the iDrive, but until the software is upgraded, you live with it. Frankly, once it's set, you don't really have to do that much to it. And in LA, all the valets have been trained on the gear select control, so that's no longer an issue.
2. Next the Z4 debuted. The Z4 was an instant hit in Los Angeles. It also made the Z3 look obsolete instantly. I think the intricate side panels work for the Z4. The much-maligned "flame" styling really works to my eyes. I like the details like the side markers with the propeller logo. The placement of the engine designation on the side is also different and kind of cool. The car looks best with the top down and certain colors are much better than others. With the top up, I think the short trunk doesn't balance the long hood. But hey, in LA, it almost never rains, so you shouldn't have to put the top up often. The top itself is made of top quality materials and the electronic function is flawless. Inside, the dash board is a model of simplicity and quality. The sales figures also tell the story. With a full year in the market, sales of the Z4 are more than double the old Z3. The public likes it!
3. The New 5 is here. The New 5 is all over LA now. The old 5 was the darling of every automotive journalist for the past 6 years. I can understand why. It was the quintessential sports sedan. The 540i and M5 were the benchmark for all other sport-luxury sedans. Now the journalists are crying about the styling of the new 5. I've seen it in person many times now and I think it is stunning. It's nothing short of brilliant in its overall look and stance. It retains a masculine look, but a bit softened from the 7. The interior is top quality and manages to combine that German/Teutonic look while still oozing luxury and quality. Thank god this is no Lexus. Who wants a car with no soul? This BMW is the heart and soul of BMW even though the 3 Series is by far the sales leader. First there was just the 530i, but now we have the 545i and coming in a year or so is the new M5. As with the first time I saw the 760Li, the first time I saw the 545i, I knew it was "different" just from just seeing the front of the car. I checked the rear the rear badge just to confirm my suspicions. It's just subtle styling cues that let you know that you are in the presence of a greater BMW. Mercedes does it well only with its AMG models and Porsche screams it out loud with some of its 911 variants like the CS4, GT2 and Turbo. But BMW manages to do it for each step in its model line up. The changes are very subtle but discernable to the auto enthusiast just to tell you that this model is a more ultimate driving machine. BMW drivers tend to be either style or social class conscious people or real automotive enthusiasts. For either consumer, BMW makes it work. I can't wait to see and drive the new, mighty M5 with BMW's first V10. It promises to be an incredible car just as much as its predecessor. By the way, since the automotive press beatified and canonized the last M5 and 540i from the day those models hit the street; it's sort of hard for any car to live up to sainthood twice in a row. I have read complaints about the new 5, but those complaints are about the active steering system, the styling and iDrive. I have yet to drive the new 5, but it's time to get over iDrive. It's here to stay. The styling is nothing short of brilliant, to my eye. Get over it! The jury is still out on the active steering.
4. Finally, we have the upcoming new 6-Series. I haven't seen it in person, but I can already tell you I love the look of this car. It will sell very well in LA. Neiman-Marcus sold out its Christmas allotment in record time. The 6 will also come in a cabriolet model. So far, all the snobs have said how much they hate the top's controversial tail fins and rear window placement. I think it's totally unique and the design of the top adds to the sweeping lines of the 6. I would love to have one of these – coupe or convertible. I'm willing to bet that the driving public in LA will lap up this all new BMW coupe, despite its high price and almost non-existent rear leg room.

I haven't heard one automotive journalist or lofty self-important car company executive say that any car company has dethroned BMW as the Ultimate Driving Machine. These complaints about Chris Bangle and his sheet metal designs all sound like angry children who don't understand something different or old men who are stuck in their ways. It could be some jealously too, but I don't know. The Ultimate Driving Machine should have the ultimate exterior too. I think BMW has moved into brave new territory with its car design and it has achieved its goals:

• Its cars, including MINI, are selling better than ever.
  
• Profits are up.
  
• Its stock is at 52-week highs.
  
• It is not beholden to Wall Street and doesn't resort to quick fixes like firing employees to reduce costs. BMW management has carefully reducing its overall costs and spreading development costs without the pressure of most "public" companies. BMW can do this because of the Quandt family ownership. BMW still has long-range vision, not short term bottom line accounting voodoo or forcing suppliers to cut costs with impunity.
  
• BMW hasn't had to "partner" with another car company in order to stay afloat. It remains independent. The partnerships BMW has are with legendary German engineering and supply corporations like ZF and Bosch (both of which are privately held by family-controlled foundations). The result is that BMW still produces the Ultimate Driving Machine.
  
• The Mr. Bangle's designs are turning heads and making BMW the talk of the automotive industry. The insiders bash whatever he does, but the customers buy the product. I'm sure there are customers defecting to BMW from Mercedes (the arch rival). No doubt, this is a main goal of BMW to dethrone Mercedes (although Mercedes-Benz seems to be very good at doing that itself).
  
• Engineering and Design leadership. It's been a race for many years to see which German car company can out engineer the other. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, VW/Audi and Porsche all want the engineering crown. BMW is probably at or near the top for designs that strikes emotion with a mass market appeal.
  

Go BMW!

The Murano files

The latest gas mileage:
Miles driven: 175
Gallons of regular gas used: 14.899
Price per gallon: $1.599 (Unocal)
Miles per gallon: 11.75
Average speed: 13.9 mph over the past 1,979 miles
Average miles per gallon: 12.0

I got the Murano back from Santa Monica Nissan. The dealer tightened something loose in the steering linkage and the "clunk" problem went away. I paid $23.94 for the oil change. My car was washed nicely when I got it back, but I had to take a taxi to pick up the car since I lived outside the radius for the customer courtesy van. Hmm...