German Car Forum

This is totally unexpected and a huge loss for BMW. The new 7 Series designer, Karim Habib, one of the top designers at BMW will join the Mercedes-Benz team. Karim will lead the firm’s advanced design studio located in Stuttgart.
Habib will be responsible for the Mercedes-Benz F Series cars, the concepts and experimental cars that Mercedes uses to develop its future design themes. For those of you that his name might not ring any bells, Karim Habib was the head of the design team behind the amazing CS Concept which was unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2007.


Top BMW designer, Karim Habib leaving BMW for Mercedes


Autocar - Mercedes snares Karim Habib

Great loss but not worried the least.

The CS is a smash, making this a lovely addition to the team along with the dude from Huyndai. Sadly the design for most up and coming Mercs like the new SL, S-class, CLC and CL have most likely already been finalised. But there might still be time for adjustments.

Interesting ... Few months ago Karim Habib was named Head of BMW Advanced Design Studios. And now after just few months after he's leaving for MB Advanced design studio.

^^
He probably got fed up with the thought of his designs potentially only being used on SUVs and MPVs

I hope we don't see BMW style cues on future MB cars.

BTW where is he from? his name is Egyptian,i know someone who has exactly the first and last name

I don't know the guy... was he important for BMW?

Are there issues at BMW design or just two different leaving for their own reasons?

He could also have been offered a better contract

lol!

I´m wondering when are we going to see a sketch or Huck´s impression about the new S-Class.

I heard that rumor here in pforzheim at our degree show one month ago. there were designers from the industry and some of them were talking about that. didn't know how seriously I sould take this info though.

I think Karim leaving BMW has nothing to do with Bangle. Mercedes' design studios are being refreshed with new faces. Gordon Wagener who led the advanced design studio in California is now MB's head of design. They brought the "Hyundai dude" -sorry, forgot his name- to take Wagener's previous position. AMG have a new design chief, and as a part of these new steps MB was talking to designers from all over the planet who potentially have the abilities to lead their teams, and Karim is definitely has these abilities. We are about to witness a dramatic change in Mercede's design language as the chiefs now are much younger and have different backgrounds. I'm really excited to see what'g going to happen the next few years.

Karim Habib is btw, Lebanese. A very nice guy and a very talented designer. As for him being announced Head of BMW's advanced design, I'm not sure how accurate this info is. We would have heard about it. When I left BMW he was just taking his new position as the successor of Anders Warming, who was announced head of exterior design, and that was as a team and project leader, not head of advanced design.

Anyway, these are some great news for Mercedes. Hope to see some new concepts soon - maybe detroit 2010?

^wow reading that makes me smile..

Welcome to the Dark Side Karim

Could be.

He is labeled as "Leiter BMW Advanced Design Studio" - whatever that means, since BMW translate Leiter depending on situation - usually as project manager, team leader, head, chief, president etc.




If not karim, who's the Head of BMW Advance Design Studio then? Is there any? Or, just like in the case of Head of interior design, and Head of BMW Automobile design the position is still not taken????

That is the question lingering in my mind...

If you wish to indulge on the paranoid fantasies discussed over at AutoSpies regarding the future of BMW fine , then you must believe that Lexus will be the worlds no 1 Premium manufacturer by September?

Belive me BMW have some up and coming artists , some you have began to hear of to many you have not, just waiting for their moment (which is coming).
So effectively one leaves , one takes their place.
And the next generation of models such as X3 , 1er line and 3er line are shaping up very nicely , The next 3er sedan will be very exciting -seeing it alongside the A4 and C-Klasse and the (Gulp) Lexus IS (for US market Purposes) makes these cars very restrained and dated , especially the Audi. The front of the new 3er is probably the most controversial aspect , but it works and really gives it a really dynamic , animalistic appearence.

I have no doubt of that but everyone is moving not just BMW,so if the next 3er would that then i can only imagine what MB will do with the W205 C-Class

A lot of things are starting to make perfect sense.

Perhaps the mighty Adriaan heads (or will head) all the BMW & Group design positions.

Perhaps Bangle Motoren Werke should now be renamed Adriaan Motoren Werke. BMW --> AMW.

From a designers point of view Mercedes is the manufacturer to work for right now. The CS Concept is a master piece and Karim's eyes are probably bleeding from the cancellation of the car while the design language has been diluted into cars like the X1, PAS and F01. Mercedes have more exciting projects going on than BMW.

The only place I saw this written is Autozeitung. I guess this is your source too. I think the position of the chief of advanced design is a an important one, so if this was true we would have got a press release.

Karim took the Position of Anders Warming, who was NOT the head of Advanced Design. the Head of advanced design is somebody else. I've already met him at BMW, but I keep forgetting his name.

The reason is quite simple. Lebanese guys love Mercedes . Interesting article: Mercedes-Benz cars in Lebanon

Not only in AZ ... It was also stated in various BMW publications as well.

Yes, it usually states "Leiter BMW Advanced Design" - I though that was a synonym for whole studio.

Eg. this is the original text from one BMW publication:

Translation: Since July 2007 he led the BMW Advanced Design Team in Munich; his team develops future projects for all BMW Group brands.



OK, he was a ADTeam leader -which I guess is more operational design job then executive one. Executive stuff - that's I guess what the Head of AD does.


My bad. Sorry.

Let the woman who designed the new Z4 take over the design role for bmw and we will see many hot new BMW models.