The fate of Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes could be decided in the design studio

Car design feels like a particularly fickle place in 2024. It’s always been an exercise in compromise, but never have opposing factors been so stark. Do brands pander to trends and risk losing their distinction, or forge their own path hoping consumers come along for the ride? And that’s before you consider letting electrified powertrains dictate design. 

These are questions that all motoring design studios are facing, and none more starkly than the legacy brands that have the weight of their reputation on the line. BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Jaguar have all been under the microscope in recent years, with designs that have been just as notable for their misses as their hits. 

But big moves in the design world over recent months might be a clue that some of these big manufacturers are on a mission to right some of their recent wrongs. It started with the shock resignation of Massimo Frascella from JLR; one of the fathers of a modern Range Rover, and a champion of reductionist design just as you might see in fashion or architecture. 

He’s now begun a new role at Audi, typically a brand on the precipice of cutting-edge car design, but of late under particular heat for being too fussy and a little generic. Frascella joined with a piercing public statement confirming he’ll be taking the maker in a more simplistic and sophisticated direction. The rather unceremonious departure of former design head Marc Lichte also spoke loudly by them saying nothing at all. 

BMW has also been given a shake up, albeit with a softer tone. Maximilian Missoni of Polestar has joined Adrian van Hooydonk’s A-Team in Munich, taking on the role of head of design for the maker’s medium and large model lines, plus Alpina. Former head Domagoj Dukec, instigator of BMW’s shock-and-awe design language of the last five or so years, will move over to Rolls-Royce, with former brand designer Anders Warming moving to BMW’s advanced design. 

In both cases, Frascella and Missoni are known for their instinctual sense of volume, proportion and minimalist detailing. These are in stark contrast to the rather more chaotic design studios they’re joining – signalling that quality of design, rather than shock factor, is back on the agenda.

Mercedes has yet to call any change to its design management, but its all-electric EQ range has hardly been free of critical review, something mirrored in its showroom sales and resale values.

These exciting new moves might be cause for celebration, but it’s worth remembering the stakes at play. Legacy brands face huge challenges outside of design, including a slowing of EV take-up and fast-moving, tech-forward Chinese and Korean rivals. And without a clear lead in electrified powertrain engineering and technology, it will rest on design and build quality to justify what actually makes ‘premium’ cars premium.

However, while we’ve still got a long wait to see how Audi and BMW reinterpret their design languages under new leadership, the first up for major reinvention is much closer to home. 

Jaguar is on the verge of glory or ruin with its imminent rebirth due later this year. Gone is the steady hand of former design chief Ian Callum, and with Frascella out of the picture, Jaguar’s fate essentially rests on one person – Gerry McGovern. 

It was always going to be a tough job to execute the reinvention plan, even if the EV market stayed as buoyant as it was four years ago. But for the sake of one of Britain’s most iconic brands, anticipation is high. We’ll be getting our first real indication of Jaguar’s direction in the coming months.

Make no mistake. The fate of these premium brands is under threat with advances from the East, but they all still have something newer rivals from more modern brands just don’t have – that of history and heritage. How they leverage their legacy in the design studio might just be their key to success.

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