After BMW revealed the new 3-series, Inside Line said that it was too similar to the old model, but Van Hooydonk, BMW's design chief, had something to say about that. He says it's quite a big step, which is nothing more than a contradiction to attempt to level the playing field, but then he goes on to say that the 3-series is the "core of the brand" and that the focus of the design was on making it look immediately like a Bimmer. Van Hooydonk says "... it remains identifiable as part of the BMW family. Even if you took the badge off, you'd know what it was."
It's easy for fickle internet dwellers to rip a design apart, but it's not as easy to keep things moving forward when your job is to mess with one of the world's best selling cars. If the 2012 3-series isn't appealing to consumers, Hooydonk is going to end up at the bottom of a lake. That said, we really do wish the cut line of the hood was at the line of the grille and lights... it just looks terrible.
[via Inside Line]
