The identify Maximilian Missoni isn’t one most would contemplate “family.” Until, in fact, your loved ones members routinely regale each other with tales of Volvo and Volkswagen design triumphs. Whereas names like Bangle or Giugiaro could conjure a direct response in some fanatic circles, you could be hard-pressed to search out one which instantly is aware of the person by simply surname. However Missoni’s days of relative anonymity could be behind him.
BMW Group has appointed the 45-year-old Austrian with Italian heritage because the design lead for higher mid-size and luxury-class fashions, together with ALPINA. 20 years of expertise within the auto trade definitely suggests he’s a stable choose. However who precisely is Missoni? Extra importantly, does he have what it takes to helm design on flagship BMW fashions?
Early Life and Training
Missoni was born in Austria to a household of architects – in his personal phrases, “I’ve virtually grown up with design. As a teen, I spent loads of time drawing. It began with boats.” Early on in life, Maximillian was poring over a ship journal when he seen a Ferrari idea automobile in an commercial for design home Pininfarina. In keeping with Missoni, that’s when he received hooked. He modified tracks to automobile design, and the remaining is historical past.
His formal design journey started at College of Artwork and Design Linz, which he attended from 1996 till 2000. After that he received an internship with Volkswagen – who then sponsored his time spent from 2000 to 2002 on the Royal Faculty of Artwork in London. He accomplished a Grasp of Arts diploma in Automobile Design and continued working with Volkswagen.
The Volkswagen Decade
Missoni’s work took him to the center of Volkswagen – Wolfsburg. He recollects his time there fondly – even calling it a few of the finest artistic years of his life. That assertion is backed up by how lengthy he remained on the firm. He formally began in September 2002, and by January 2006 had moved as much as a senior design place. He remained right here for six extra years – finishing 10 years and a couple of months with the corporate.
His design tasks at Volkswagen give us a take a look at his artistic course of and merchandise. He began by engaged on the VW Idea R, a mid-engine roadster design. He designed the automobile as a part of an inner competitors, and “for some purpose, what I did struck a chord, and this went on to develop into an idea automobile,” Missoni recollects. Years later, as a senior designer, Missoni would pen the futuristic VW XL1 Idea – which astoundingly, made it right into a restricted collection manufacturing run. Each supply a glimpse into what would develop into developments in Missoni’s work: minimalism and sustainability.
Transferring On: Volvo and Polestar
In October 2012, he moved to Sweden and joined Volvo. He was a part of a trio that despatched the model hovering to new heights. Missoni labored with designers Robin Web page and Thomas Ingenlath to utterly rework the Volvo lineup. His targets when becoming a member of had been clear. “Volvo is perceived, internationally, as a premium, if not luxurious, model. However now, the design has to mirror that as properly. To carry these two issues collectively – luxurious in a Scandinavian manner – that was very thrilling,” he says in an interview. The tip product? Fashions just like the Volvo XC40 and Volvo XC90 – evocative autos that utterly shifted notion of the Scandinavian automaker.
After giving the Volvo model an unmistakable new look and leaving in 2018 as Vice President, Exterior Design, Missoni moved over to Polestar. Right here, he’s sporting that hat of Head of Design – though he was nonetheless advising on Volvo tasks as wanted. You most likely don’t want an introduction to the Polestar model. Whereas previously the devoted efficiency arm of Volvo, right this moment it’s equally centered on electrification. Heading up well-received fashions just like the Polestar 1, Polestar 2, and the newest, the Polestar 4 – additional bolstered Missoni’s profile and portfolio.
Design Type and The place Missoni Suits Into BMW
All through his profession, Missoni has confirmed an enormous love for minimalism and refinement. “For me, minimalistic designs are probably the most fascinating. Stripping away the non-essential, leaving a pure, but iconic aesthetic,” he says in an interview. Whereas extra delicate, there’s one other quick widespread thread: sustainability. The XL-1 is a standout instance of minimalism and sustainability. So are all the things he’s labored on at Polestar – which is, in any case, an electrical automobile firm.
Missoni additionally appears to have values that instantly mirror what we’ve heard from BMW within the latest previous. When requested his three favourite issues concerning the auto design trade, he cited “the emotional connection folks have with our product, the impression our product has on folks’s lives and the accountability that comes with it, and the potential now we have to positively have an effect on the problems we face with local weather and assets.” Want extra buzzwords? “[Another] massive factor is circularity…we’ll go increasingly more into sustainable supplies. However these supplies have fairly a robust impression on what we do. If we’re intelligent, we are able to leverage that into a brand new design aesthetic.”
There’s another reason that Missoni is an efficient match for BMW. Regardless of confessions that he “was by no means a petrolhead” – although fairly having fun with the liberty that piloting a ship supplies – he understands dynamics and their relevance. Whereas discussing the Polestar 1, he’s fast to heap on the efficiency discuss. “It’s not solely the straight-line acceleration. It’s the driving dynamics and the chassis tuning of this automobile that makes it so particular.”
The place the Man and the Model Go From Right here
Like his time at Volvo, Maximilian Missoni will share the design lead place with others. He’ll be joined by Oliver Heilmer, who’ll oversee entry-level fashions as much as and together with the three Collection and X3. Heilmer can even oversee BMW M Design. As a part of the facility trio that rocked Volvo’s popularity, Maximilian Missoni has already proved himself a prodigious chief, collaborator, and – in fact – designer. The hobbyist boatsman has a critically vital ship to steer – let’s see the place he takes it.
Sources: Formcast Automotive Design Podcast, Automotive Information Europe, Muse.World
