October 1, 2024, marks the beginning of a new era of design at BMW. Domagoj Dukec has now moved to pen the Rolls-Royce models of tomorrow. The Frankfurt-born Croat had been in charge of BMW’s design since 2019 after joining the company in 2010. Previously, he was named Head of Exterior Design in 2013 and served as Head of Design at BMW i and BMW M. Before switching brands, he shared a farewell message on social media.
As BMWBLOG exclusively reported a couple of weeks ago, Domagoj Dukec mentions in his Instagram post that the design of all cars scheduled to come out by 2029 has been finalized. It means the first wave of at least six Neue Klasse EVs has already been penned by his team. We can say the same about the next-generation 3 Series, X5, X6, and X7, all of which are coming out before 2029. That extends to the Life Cycle Impulses of current cars, too. The first car to debut following Dukec’s departure is the next 2 Series Gran Coupe (F74), which should premiere in the coming weeks.
Attached below, the full message is an emotional farewell and a window into Dukec’s future work at Rolls-Royce. He plans to design fewer cars “but with much more depth in exclusivity and a completely different and more direct customer exchange.” The Goodwood-based luxury marque intends to go fully electric by the end of the decade. That should mean the former Head of BMW Design will work exclusively on cars without the venerable V-12 engine.
Head of BMW Group Design Adrian van Hooydonk has assigned not one but two people to replace Dukec. Ex-MINI design boss Oliver Heilmer will do all the cars from the 1 Series and X1 to the 3 Series and X3, plus the M models. It’s worth noting there won’t be another X4 with gas engines, although we’re hearing an electric iX4 is coming. Polestar’s former design boss Maximilian Missoni is responsible for the bigger vehicles, so 5 Series / X5 and up, including the ones from BMW Alpina.
Source: Domagoj Dukec / Instagram
