BMW Preparing ‘Cleaner’ Designs For Future Models

However, this could change soon, as the brand's chief designer, Adrian van Hooydonk, has stated that future BMW vehicles will have a cleaner look and possibly less obnoxious radiator grilles. “We don’t ignore the chatter,” BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk tells Top Gear. “We hear it. We see it.” The automaker's chief designer, who used to work under the guidance of Chris Bangle (another controversial figure in BMW's history), adds that the design team has a pretty clear idea of what it's doing and that it's not like they're experimenting or throwing things out there to see what sticks. “It's a very deliberate process,” he said.

When it comes to the grille, the design boss thinks that the brand has done everything from vertical, very slim, to wide and very low, so it can basically do what it wants from here forward, as it has plenty of heritage to back it up. However, a cleaner design is to be expected. “I think in the future what is going to be important is our design will be cleaner. We will design the grille according to the proportion of the overall vehicle, or according to the expression that we want to give it,” he added. So does this mean the end of over-the-top nostrils?