The title Maximilian Missoni isn’t one most would think about “family.” Except, 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 may be hard-pressed to seek out one which instantly is aware of the person by simply surname. However Missoni’s days of relative anonymity may 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 business 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 an adolescent, I spent numerous time drawing. It began with boats.” Early on in life, Maximillian was poring over a ship journal when he seen a Ferrari idea automotive in an commercial for design home Pininfarina. In response to Missoni, that’s when he bought hooked. He modified tracks to automotive design, and the remainder 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 bought 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 pair of months with the corporate.
His design tasks at Volkswagen give us a have 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 automotive as a part of an inner competitors, and “for some cause, what I did struck a chord, and this went on to turn into an idea automotive,” 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 turn 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 objectives when becoming a member of have been clear. “Volvo is perceived, internationally, as a premium, if not luxurious, model. However now, the design has to replicate that as effectively. To carry these two issues collectively – luxurious in a Scandinavian method – 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 in all probability don’t want an introduction to the Polestar model. Whereas previously the devoted efficiency arm of Volvo, at this time it’s equally targeted on electrification. Heading up well-received fashions just like the Polestar 1, Polestar 2, and the most recent, the Polestar 4 – additional bolstered Missoni’s profile and portfolio.
Design Fashion and The place Missoni Matches Into BMW
All through his profession, Missoni has confirmed an enormous love for minimalism and refinement. “For me, minimalistic designs are probably the most attention-grabbing. Stripping away the non-essential, leaving a pure, but iconic aesthetic,” he says in an interview. Whereas extra delicate, there’s one other instant widespread thread: sustainability. The XL-1 is a standout instance of minimalism and sustainability. So are every little thing he’s labored on at Polestar – which is, in any case, an electrical automotive firm.
Missoni additionally appears to have values that straight replicate what we’ve heard from BMW within the current previous. When requested his three favourite issues in regards to the auto design business, he cited “the emotional connection individuals have with our product, the impression our product has on individuals’s lives and the duty 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 gives – 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 automotive 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 Sequence and X3. Heilmer will even oversee BMW M Design. As a part of the ability trio that rocked Volvo’s repute, Maximilian Missoni has already proved himself a prodigious chief, collaborator, and – in fact – designer. The hobbyist boatsman has a significantly essential ship to steer – let’s see the place he takes it.
