BMW Appoints New Head of Design Karim Habib
BMW has anointed its newest Head of Design, Karim Habib, who will effectively take the position starting June 1st, 2012.
Habib is credited with styling the exteriors of the current BMW 7-Series, a vast improvement over the previous generation’s styling designed by Chris Bangle. Even though the E65 7-Series was fairly popular in terms of sales, it’s undoubtedly ingrained in many minds for its ‘Bangle Butt’, the oddly shaped two-level rear end. Ironically enough, the ‘Bangle Butt’ was actually designed by Adrian van Hooydonk, who worked closely with Bangle on the previous generation 7-Series.
Regardless, the German automaker is looking forward to ushering in a new era of design with Habib at the helm. He is a 42-year old Lebanese-born Canadian who has been in charge of exterior design on BMW Automobiles up to this point. Habib will report to the previously mentioned Hooydonk, who is Senior Vice President of BMW Group Design.
Habib joined the BMW Group back in 1998 and worked with the automaker for ten years. In 2008, Habib jumped over to BMW rival Mercedes-Benz for a two-year stint before returning to Munich in 2010.
“Karim Habib is an outstanding designer who has had a significant impact on the design of the BMW brand over many years,” said Hooydonk. “His longstanding experience and subtle instinct for timely elegance and dynamics are the ideal prerequisites for this demanding task. I look forward very much to his support and collaboration,” he added.
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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This is good news. Styling wise I prefer the elegant, sporty styling of the E38 and E39 7 and 5 Series! The current F01/F02 is a very nice improvement over the E65/E66. The 8 Series is my all time favorite!