Designworks celebrates its 50th Anniversary

Designworks, the BMW Group's innovation centre, celebrated its 50th anniversary in the industry

A little history shares that Designworks was founded in 1972 in a garage in Malibu, California by US industrial designer Chuck Pelly.

Since 1995, it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the BMW Group and there are 130 designers who are involved in the Designworks team which see themselves as "future architects."

A new generation of metro for Siemens

The BMW Group's innovative vehicles, such as the GINA Light Visionary Model, were inspired by the consulting firm for design and innovation, which also played a key role in the design development of the BMW X model range and the development of the BMW i electric vehicle brand.

Racing Wheelchair for paralympic athlets

Apart from that, the studios carry strong intuitions on global, design-relevant phenomena to the company headquarters, with locations in Los Angeles, Munich, and Shanghai and clients from various industries.

A new type of material from the brand The North Face

The transformation of the BMW Group and the entire automotive industry toward electrification, digitalization, and sustainability will be the most difficult challenge in the coming years.

Senior Vice President BMW Group Design, Adrian van Hoodyank stated that to find the best solutions, they will need to use all our creativity and advanced thinking. 

An outboard motor for Mercury Marine

He also mentioned that Designworks will be there to fuel this transformation with strong ideas which with these changes it will affect the entire industry. 

The company has worked on concepts for seating furniture, aircraft, underground rail, bicycles, boats, sporting goods, air taxis (eVTOLs), agricultural and forestry machinery, a hyperloop, and other industries.

Materia: The Garden of possibilities

Apart from its further understanding towards premium mobility, brand differentiation under one corporate umbrella, and knowledge of challenges in the innovation process in large companies are all compelling reasons for external clients to collaborate with the BMW Group subsidiary.