Business Week conducted an interview with BMW lead design chief, Adrian Van Hooydon on BMW's leading design innovations and how other auto companies strive to replicate their success.
" Q: Is BMW different from other auto makers in the way it manages car design?
We brief the entire design team on every new project. All projects are
open to everyone. Some are told to submit sketches. Some have projects
going, but they're free to submit too if they have time. We want to
keep all design projects open to all designers. We don't want to have a
"3 Series studio" like some car companies, where all they do is a
certain model, where three junior people sit but only the studio chief
designs. You can imagine which setup is more motivating.
Our approach gets people to do their best. They stretch
themselves because there's so much more to gain. We ask designers for a
complete car—not just a headlamp. The winner takes all."