Chris Bangle begins work with Changan Automobile on its design strategy and methodology

Chris Bangle is to consult with Changan Automobile to help develop its design strategy and processes in his first official automotive project since leaving BMW in 2009.

Bangle – through his company Chris Bangle Associates (CBA) – will work with Changan's team in its European design center in Turin, Italy, reporting to design director Chen Zheng. And while his role will be linked to the brand's Chinese products, his focus will be on the design team's methodologies and philosophy; its management and its process of critique, rather than the hands-on design of its products.

This is of course an area in which he has a great deal of experience, most notably at BMW. There he revolutionized the role of design within the company as well as restructuring its processes in order to create an environment in which the design team's creativity could flourish.

In a statement from Chris Bangle Associates, he said: "I have been following with sincere interest the developments of Changan in the last years, and I am particularly impressed by their activities in Italy. Their work in Turin with local talent, the growth of their design center, and the connection with this historical hub of Italian car design are extraordinary; this is one of the reasons why I am keen on starting this collaboration."

Indeed the company's Turin facility has already doubled in size to 22,000 square meters since its inauguration in 2012. It houses an international team of designers including Bangle's former Fiat and BMW colleague Andreas Zapatinas, advanced design department manager.

The company is headquartered in Chongqing, China and is one of the top four Chinese car companies, producing around 2million vehicles per year. It also has facilities in Detroit, the UK and Japan.

While this is a high profile client for CBA due to the automotive connection, it's one of a host of clients the company continues to work with, which also includes electronics giant Samsung, for who Bangle is 'master designer'.

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By Owen Ready