Chris Bangle speaks his mind at Geneva Motor Show

“It’s all about design.” As an automotive journalist, you hear that phrase a lot, especially at auto shows and new product previews, whether you’re looking at the latest luxury car or something more basic. Yet, by and large, designers are a relatively anonymous lot, with only the rare Harley Earl gaining a place in the collective consciousness.

Chris Bangle is another name that has risen beyond the automotive headlines. After all, how many other designers have earned profiles on network TV – CBS Sunday Morning, for one – or been the motivation behind a popular online fan site. Make that anti-fans, if you prefer, for there were several online efforts to force Bangle out as global head of styling at BMW after the automaker launched a controversial remake of its flagship 7-Series sedan, early in the decade.

Ultimately – and ironically – that car’s most distinctive design, known to many as the “Bangle-butt,” has become more the norm than the exception in the luxury market, these days. And with the launch of yet another remake of the 7-er, for 2009, Bangle and his team have largely won over even the harshest skeptics.

And so, it might seem, a good time to move on – as Bangle is doing. In something of a surprise, the youthful 52-year-old stylist tendered his resignation as head of design for the BMW Group, this morning, Munich time. According to a statement, he’ll be pursuing “other design challenges” beyond the automotive industry.

The announcement took many folks, even a few senior BMW executives, by surprise, and despite the wording of the release, it does not appear to suggest that Bangle was in any way shown the door. Quite the contrary, suggests an inside source, who believes Bangle is looking for his “second act.” Or third, or fourth, depending on how you count.

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Another Bangle project, the pint-sized 1-Series

Born in Ravenna, Ohio, and raised in Wausau, Wisconsin, Bangle’s first calling was the pulpit, rather than the drawing board. But after a brief flirtation with the Methodist ministry, he opted to go to school in Pasadena, at the Art Center School of Design. He was a top student, and a classmate of many of today’s senior industry stylists, like J Mays, of Ford.

After graduation, Bangle put his pens to use at Opel, then Fiat, before landing at BMW, as the automaker’s first U.S. chief of design, in 1992. His signature work, at that time was the Z9 Gran Turismo Concept Car. He soon transferred to Germany, rapidly rising in the ranks, taking on an assortment of critical projects, including redesigns of the 3-, 5- and, of course, the 7-Series.

Until the 2001 “reveal,” the 7-er was an also-ran in the premium luxury car segment, a distant wannabe in a market dominated by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The key to the new model was “presence,” Bangle explained. The most distinctive—and many will say unsettling—feature was the bustle-back trunk, which rose notably higher than the rest of the car’s dimensions would suggest. But other aspects of the 7-Series both caught the eye and raised the eyebrows, including front turn signals that Bangle described as having added eyeliner. The rear of the roof featured another unusual appointment; aptly dubbed the “sharkfin,” it barely concealed the navigation system antenna.

Such features drew a mix of praise, both inside and outside the auto industry. Despite the traditional caution about criticizing fellow stylists, designers like Mays were harsh in their criticism, at times, but even though Patrick le Quement, head of styling at Renault, had his own concerns, he also admitted the 7 brought a dramatic “presence,” and “proportion,” which made Bangle “highly influential.” And, indeed, it was hard to ignore the introduction of a Bangle-butt when Mercedes re-launched its S-Class, several years ago.

Ever the collaborator -- Bangle and his team

While Bangle took much of the blame, or credit, depending on your viewpoint, the project was a collaboration with the Belgian Adrian van Hooydonk. Indeed, when BMW rewarded Bangle by promoting him to corporate steward of design, he spent relatively time actually petting digital pen to pad. In the BMW Group spot, Bangle spent most of his time shepherding a growing studio of stylists overseeing a range of brands, including BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini – as well as a large operation offering design services to non-automotive clients ranging from sunglass to laptop computer manufacturers.

And if we take the BMW release at its word, that may be precisely the sort of work Bangle is aiming to pursue. Where is uncertain. He’s had a brief stint teaching at Harvard. But insiders say he took to the California lifestyle and could return there, especially since his son is in college there. Of course, Bangle also speaks fluent German, and could set up a base there, as well.

Now 44, and until this morning, the head of design at BMW Automobile, van Hooydonk will have a big sketchpad to fill, though he’s earned a solid reputation, over the years, drawing particular praise for the refinements built into the new 2009 7-Series.

But after spending 17 years working directly with Bangle, it’s likely that van Hooydonk will continue to show the strong influence of his mentor in his work for BMW.