From Polestar to BMW: Missoni's minimalist revolution

The name Maximilian Missoni is not a household name for most people. Unless, of course, your family members regularly tell each other stories about the design successes of Volvo and Volkswagen. While names like Bangle or Giugiaro may elicit an immediate reaction in some enthusiast circles, it would be difficult to find someone who would immediately recognize the man by just his last name. But Missoni's days of relative anonymity may be behind him.

The 45-year-old Austrian with Italian roots has been appointed by the BMW Group as head of design for the upper mid-range and luxury class models, including ALPINA. Two decades of experience in the automotive industry suggest that he is a solid choice. But who exactly is Missoni? And more importantly, does he have what it takes to lead the design of BMW's flagship models?

Early life and education

Missoni was born in Austria into a family of architects. In his own words: “I practically grew up with design. As a teenager I spent a lot of time drawing. It started with boats.” At an early age, Maximillian was leafing through a boating magazine when he noticed a Ferrari concept car in an advert from the design house Pininfarina. According to Missoni, he was fascinated from then on. He switched to car design and the rest is history.

His formal design career began at the University of Art and Industrial Design Linz, which he attended from 1996 to 2000. He then completed an internship at Volkswagen – which then financed his stay at the Royal College of Art in London from 2000 to 2002. He completed a Master of Arts in vehicle design and continued to work at Volkswagen.

The Volkswagen decade

Missoni's work took him to the heart of Volkswagen – Wolfsburg. He remembers his time there fondly – and even describes it as some of the most creative years of his life. This statement is backed up by the length of his involvement with the company. He officially started in September 2002 and was promoted to a senior design position in January 2006. He stayed there for another six years – a total of 10 years and 2 months with the company.

His design projects at Volkswagen give us a glimpse into his creative process and products. He began working on the VW Concept R, a mid-engine roadster. He designed the car as part of an internal competition and “for some reason my work resonated and it became a concept car,” Missoni recalls. Years later, as lead designer, Missoni designed the futuristic VW XL1 Concept – which amazingly went into a limited series. Both offer a glimpse into what would become trends in Missoni's work: minimalism and sustainability.

Next up: Volvo and Polestar

In October 2012, he moved to Sweden and started working at Volvo. He was part of a trio that took the brand to new heights. Missoni worked with designers Robin Page and Thomas Ingenlath to completely redesign the Volvo product range. His goals when he joined were clear. “Volvo is perceived internationally as a premium, if not luxury, brand. But now the design has to reflect that. Bringing those two things together – luxury the Scandinavian way – was very exciting,” he says in an interview. The end product? Models like the Volvo XC40 and Volvo XC90 – impressive vehicles that completely changed the perception of the Scandinavian carmaker.

After giving the Volvo brand a distinctive new face and leaving the company in 2018 as Vice President, Exterior Design, Missoni moved to Polestar. Here he wears the hat of head of design – although he continued to advise on Volvo projects when required. The Polestar brand probably needs no introduction. While it used to be Volvo's dedicated performance arm, it now focuses equally on electrification. Leading well-received models such as Polestar 1, Polestar 2 and the latest, the Polestar 4, has further strengthened Missoni's profile and portfolio.

Design style and where Missoni fits BMW

Throughout his career, Missoni has shown a great love for minimalism and sophistication. “For me, minimalist designs are the most interesting. They remove the non-essential and leave a pure but iconic aesthetic,” he says in an interview. Although more subtle, there is another immediate common thread: sustainability. The XL-1 is an outstanding example of minimalism And Sustainability. This also applies to everything he worked on at Polestar – after all, it is a company that makes electric cars.

Missoni also seems to represent values ​​that mirror exactly what we've heard from BMW in the recent past. When asked about his three favorite things about the car design industry, he cited “the emotional connection that people have with our product, the impact our product has on people's lives and the responsibility that comes with that, and the potential to positively impact the climate and resource issues that we have.” Need more buzzwords? “[Another] The big issue is circularity… we're going to rely more and more on sustainable materials. But these materials have a pretty strong influence on what we do. If we're clever, we can translate that into a new design aesthetic.”

There's another reason why Missoni is a good fit for BMW. Although he admits he's “never been a car nut” – although he does enjoy the freedom that comes with steering a boat – he understands dynamics and what they mean. When he talks about the Polestar 1, he's quick to talk about performance. “It's not just the acceleration in a straight line. It's the driving dynamics and the chassis tuning of this car that make it so special.”

What’s next for the man and the brand

As with his time at Volvo, Maximilian Missoni will share the design leadership with others. He will be assisted by Oliver Heilmer, who oversees the entry-level models up to the 3 Series and X3. Heilmer will also lead BMW M Design. As part of the power trio that shook Volvo's reputation, Maximilian Missoni has already proven himself to be an excellent leader, collaborator and – of course – designer. The amateur boatswain has a really important ship to steer – let's see where he takes it.

Sources: Formcast Car Design Podcast, Automotive News Europe, Muse.World