BMW goes where the money is. US and Chinese buyers of the 7 Series (as shown) and the X7 love the big grill but Europeans generally prefer more restrained design.
MUNICH: BMW has defended the huge double-intake kidney grille on the BMW X7 SUV and 7 Series limousines, saying owners have given the design "very positive feedback."
Product boss Peter Henrich tells Autocar car magazine that he was "convinced" this bold styling direction was the right way to go and that customer data showed it was being well-received.
If anything, says the manager, some buyers wanted even bolder XXL kidney grilles than the ones fitted.
"BMW customers are demanding. They want to express something and are not afraid of vehicles with strong characters," says Henrich. "They are looking for it. So we have decided to focus even more on strong characters and bold design."
The X7.
The chunky version of the trademark grilles has been called big and bad by some car pundits. The radical design has polarised the car-buying public at a time when the frontal styling on both top BMW and Mercedes-Benz models has become more aggressive. Buyers in Europe generally prefer understated styling.
Referring to the massive grilles on the range-topping 7 Series saloons, BMW designer Adrian van Hooydonk says BMW had previously been criticised in the United States and China for making cars that do not stand out enough from the crowd.
"When the X7 came out, the industry said: Why has it got this enormous front grille? Customer reaction was completely different and the car is a huge success," says Henrich. "The X7 is sold out for a long time to come, and customers love the car."
Following the presentation of the Concept 4 with a big grille, it looks as though the new 4 Series is the next range to get the monster grille treatment.
The concept car was showcased at the 2019 Frankfurt IAA Show with a strikingly tall version of the vertically opposed grille, which BMW says harks back to the classic 328 model. The design was a major talking point at the event.
According to Germany's Autobild car magazine, only 23 per cent of 15,500 readers said they welcomed BMW's XL grilles. A further 67 per cent rejected the big grille design language.
