IN THIS FEATURE Most controversial car designer Design philosophy Juggling the brands Revolution and evolution Favourites Emotion and criticism Starting point of a design Customer involvement Tastes and attitudes Regulation and commercial considerations

Chris Bangle, director of design for the BMW group, is probably the most controversial car designer currently working in the industry.

The first American to head up BMW's design team, he angered many car enthusiasts - and, in particular, Beemer devotees - when BMW introduced revolutionary new designs for its previously conservative cars.

Indeed, such was the ire generated by the radical "flame surfacing" - a term Bangle coined to describe a surfacing technique that allowed light to be reflected differently off the metal - on the 5-Series that an online petition was started to try and get him fired from BMW.

However, Bangle has never been shy about defending the designs he's responsible for, so 4Car met up with him to talk about his work and his design philosophy.