In a surprising move, Chris Bangle, the visionary behind some of BMW’s most iconic 21st-century models, has been revealed as a design consultant for Xiaomi’s latest venture into electric vehicles. Xiaomi, renowned as the third-largest smartphone manufacturer globally, recently showcased its SU7—an electric sedan positioned in the Porsche Taycan segment, slated for release in China next year.
While credit for the Xiaomi SU7’s design primarily goes to Tianyuan Li (formerly of BMW iX) and James Qiu (formerly of Mercedes-Benz), the addition of Chris Bangle to the project as a design consultant brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as BMW’s head of design from 1992 to 2009. During this period, Bangle crafted the distinctive designs of the 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, and 7 Series, garnering mixed reviews initially but achieving a lasting legacy with a dedicated following.
After departing from the automotive industry in 2009, Bangle founded his own design firm. However, he recently made a return to vehicle design, choosing Xiaomi’s inaugural model as his canvas.
It remains uncertain whether Chris Bangle will continue his collaboration with Xiaomi beyond this project. The Xiaomi SU7, available in both single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive configurations, boasts power outputs of 220kW/400Nm and 495kW/8838Nm, respectively.
While the Chinese market is set to embrace the Xiaomi SU7, the company has not yet disclosed any plans to manufacture right-hand-drive electric vehicles for markets like Australia. The collaboration with Bangle suggests a promising future for Xiaomi in the electric vehicle landscape, marking a significant step in the brand’s expansion beyond smartphones.
