As design director of BMW, more than any other car designer Chris Bangle made the headlines. Not just in the automotive media, but in all forms of media. He eloquently espoused his contentious design direction for what was once the doyen of reserved German sports sedans, while simultaneously deflecting or ignoring more criticism than any other car designer has ever received.

And now, as he embarks upon his final day at the German company (indeed, his last day of working within the car industry) the media is reminding us of his accomplishments: from Fiat Coupe, through flame-surfaced X-Coupe, third-generation 'Bangle-butt' 7 Series and the fabric-surfaced Gina, to a range of cars that's very far removed from the sobriety of early '90s BMW design. We've also been reminded of his peers' criticisms of his designs - not least J Mays' derogatory view of the 1 Series - as well of his charisma and intellect.

But there is an unusual ambiguity about the public farewell Chris Bangle is receiving, just as there often is when the wider media focuses its gaze on car design. As the rest of the media second-guessing his status as villain or hero of car design, Car Design News wanted to hold up to the community a few unarguable truths that Bangle's time at BMW should perhaps be best remembered for.

In the early 1990s the BMW range comprised what were generally regarded as near faultless designs in harmonious coexistence. When Bangle became design director in 1992, he was bound by BMW management to continue this conservative ‘cookie cutter' approach. But with the BMW sedan aesthetic so mature, and with the 7 Series looking like a large 5 Series, which in turn resembled an enlarged 3 Series, Bangle succeeded in persuading management that it was time to innovate and change its design strategy, regardless of the reaction this might cause among customers, BMW executives and other car designers.

This new approach, to make step-change design innovation and to move away from a monolithic design strategy, is unarguably the cornerstone of Chris Bangle's achievements at BMW. It underpins the brand's position today, generating the most progressive design identities of any car range on the market and a disparate, but connected, line-up of vehicles that appeals to a far wider customer base than ever before. And yet all of this innovation and diversification has been achieved while consistently maintaining distinctive BMW design cues, from the trademark kidney grille, quad circular headlamps, Hofmeister kink, front-engined rear-wheel-drive proportions, to an overall ‘premium sports' identity.

But this design innovation, if not the new design strategy, has been extensively criticized. Off-record, about half the design directors we know are critical of the approach Chris Bangle took at BMW, and these criticisms are often expressed strongly. At the heart of this is a view that many of ‘his' BMW designs are ugly, or have unnecessarily ugly aspects to them - the 1 Series, X3 and previous-generation E65 7 Series being the most frequently cited examples.

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