BMW Is Playing for Delayed Acceptance

I hated the new-gen BMW designs when I first saw them. The oversized kidney grilles were just not it. They were too loud, too in your face, and honestly felt too forced. And I definitely wasn't alone. The number of people who hated it felt right to me at that time.

Then something very interesting happened about a month back. I saw a BMW M4, the coupe with the huge nostril kidneys in the front, in person. I actually kind of liked it. It felt less wrong and more wow, more intentional.

I think the same is happening with the Neue Klasse. Sure, it being EV-first is getting more slack than its design, but we'll stick to the design subject here.

I genuinely think BMW is not getting the designs wrong. In fact, they are playing a different game, one which does not rely on an immediate response, but rather a delayed acceptance.

Because think about it. If you accept anything at first glance, it is something ordinary, or feels familiar. When you are familiar, you are not pushing the boundaries, you are playing it safe.

Sure, it does come with a risk. A rather obvious one too, that if it doesn't land, you are just left with something people never liked. But when it does, you don't follow the market, you reshape it.