It’s free-agency time in the NFL, at the moment. A time when high-priced athletes leave their current teams to go to different, sometimes rival teams. It’s a tense but exciting time for fans and teams alike. Something similar is happening with BMW’s Head of Design, Karim Habib.
A little while back, we learned of Habib’s leave from the Bavarian brand. Habib had been the Head of Design for BMW since 2012 and led the design of many great BMWs. He was well liked and always courteous to us during interviews and press conferences. However, it seems as if Habib received a better offer from Infiniti, as he’s just been named Chief Designer for the Japanese brand.
So Habib has gone to a rival team, playing at the same position.
Admittedly, this isn’t the first time Habib left BMW. He first started with the brand in 1998, working there for over a decade. He then left in 2009 to join a different rival brand in Mercedes-Benz. However, he left Mercedes to come back to BMW in 2011.
To be honest, I’m actually sort of glad Habib went to Infiniti, as the Japanese brand needs all the help it can get. Some of the cars, scratch that, all of the cars from Infiniti recently look like bloated Orcas. The design language of the premium Nissan brand is just not good. It can benefit greatly from a talent like Habib, especially on the inside, an area where Habib specializes. The cabin of the new Q60 is a mishmash of different materials, different sized, shaped and textured buttons and even different fonts. It also has two separate screens on the dash that feature two different screen finishes and different resolutions. It just feels very cheap, very sloppy and very un-premium.
Habib did good work at BMW, so hopefully he can do more good work at Infiniti. Competition breeds excellence, so BMW, as well as every other premium brand, can benefit from Infiniti stepping its game up.
