He adores motorbikes, the last one he bought was a Husqvarna Cross 400, like the one Steve McQueen rode bare-chested and on which the actor featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in August 1971. However, Adrian van Hooydonk doesn't seem the type to ride bare-chested; he'll probably rather wear his usual white shirt, which clothes a physique as streamlined as the lines he draws ever since he started designing. Dutch by birth and a citizen of the world, since 2009 Van Hooydonk has been director of design of the BMW group which includes the Mini and Rolls-Royce and, on two wheels, BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna.
A multitude of projects, ideas and innovations which require him to coordinate as many as 500 designers of more than 25 different nationalities and with diverse experiences. "An enormous job because when three designers have a meeting there are at least four opinions!". His ideas are very clear: he has honed them over the years since his first professional experience in the firm of the legendary Rodolfo Bonetto, in Via Vincenzo Monti, Milan, where he primarily designed objects. Then, at BMW, he found himself working with a brand with a huge personality, iconic stylistic elements and also a strong technological drive. How do you introduce innovation while maintaining the main, identifying style elements?
"By exploiting new technology to the full: for example, there are still two headlamps, in accordance with tradition, but the use of LEDs has given them greater personality. Today, you can recognize a BMW at over 50 yards thanks to its four luminous circles that give it a determined, aggressive air". In addition to details, innovation can change the whole essence of a car. It has been happening for the past two years through the huge increase in electric and hybrid technology, which also provides style-related opportunities for formulating and applying new design languages. "At first glance, the battery needed to power a car is a cumbersome item," says Adrian van Hooydonk. "So we decided to make a completely new car". This led to the BMW i brand: two concept vehicles, one an electric city car and the other a hybrid gran turismo with a new, fascinating style, hitting the market as early as 2013. Is the design of BMW i cars influenced by the fact that the batteries must be on the rear deck?
"Not necessarily. There are examples of car manufacturers that use electric power without changing the car's style. Nobody actually knows how this technology will evolve. We're all still pioneers and, similarly to F1, everyone is free to interpret things as they like as long as there are no regulations. One thing's sure: we can't just sit back and wait to see what happens. That would mean arriving late, something that isn't in our genes". Is simplicity the secret behind a good design? "Not always. Sometimes you have to take away, sometimes you have to add. I'm all for a car with personality, capable of evoking emotions".
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