There are two designers who come from BMW at the origin of the successful aesthetics of the SU7 electric sedan that Xiaomi - the Chinese telephony and electronics giant - presented at the end of 2023. They are Li Tianyuan who was the leader of the team who designed the BMW iX and the much more famous Chris Bangle who directed the style center of the Munich company between 1992 and 2009.
It was Li Tianyuan, who became head of Xiaomi Design Automotive Group, who called Bangle first to collaborate on the creation of the SU7 and then to have him appointed official design consultant of Xiaomi to supervise the future motorsport activity of the Chinese smartphone giant.
Bangle, who was curiously born in a small town in the American state of Ohio called Ravenna, began his career in 1981 as a designer at Opel and then moved to the Fiat Style Center - then led by Ermanno Cressoni - becoming in 1985 the manager of exterior design and, later, responsible for the Group's style center.
He created the iconic Fiat Coupé and the Alfa Romeo 145.
In 1992 Bangle moved to BMW, becoming its chief designer.
For the Munich company he created the 7 Series, the 5 Series and the 3 Series.
Other models resulting from the creativity and management of Bangle were the Series 1, the Series 6, the Z4, the X3, the X5 and the X6.
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