Why BMW Switched From The Kidney Grilles To The Nostril
In recent years, BMW fans have found the Bavarian marque's oversized kidney grilles a bit of an eyesore. The divisively styled new BMW 7 Series is an example, as is the garish-looking BMW XM, not to mention the M3's freakishly large nostrils. Frankly, these grilles have grown to comical proportions, and while the brand is backtracking with the Neue Klasse design ethos, Adrian van Hooydonk (BMW's design boss) is not one to admit it was a failure. While he acknowledges the backlash, BMW's head of design notes that the move hasn't really affected overall sales. In fact, he defends the decision by pointing to China.
Apparently, Chinese car buyers adore the road presence of an oversized grille, and BMW simply cannot ignore China's design preferences because it's an important market. China alone contributed to over 25% of total sales in 2025, and that's after a 12.5% year-to-date decline, mind you. The dip in sales is not exclusive to BMW, as other European carmakers, including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Ferrari, have all reported poor China sales in 2025.
Overall, however, BMW has done well. Sales in Europe have gone up by 7%, and the U.S. saw a 5% year-to-date improvement. Despite the grille sentiment, people are buying what BMW is selling, which is exactly what van Hooydonk argues. But then why backtrack with the Neue Klasse and the new 2026 iX3? Funnily enough, many Chinese EVs now sport cleaner front-end styling, save for a few makes. While BMW claims it doesn't follow trends, we can't help but notice the coincidence.
Here's some food for thought, BMW. If China really is the driving factor here (as you make it seem), why not make a slightly different front end for the rest of the world and let Chinese car buyers enjoy the oversized eyesore? In 2025, BMW sold over 400,000 vehicles in the U.S and over a million units in Europe. So it's evident that the company cannot simply rely on Chinese preferences for future sales, especially given the 2025 decline. Part of its global portfolio is Rolls-Royce, and although it contributes very little to overall sales, the British luxury brand is historically known for its grandiose grille designs. But we are of the opinion that the bucktooth/oversized grilles are not necessarily driving BMW's sales growth in the West.
As automotive designer Peter Stevens (someone who worked on the McLaren F1) puts it, sales are most likely because the vast majority of lessees (of BMWs and other German brands) have no other option but to trade in or risk facing poor resale as their term ends. Perhaps because of that, some people are stomaching the ugliness. However, there are also folks who have grown to like modern BMW designs. It's not like Bavarian engineering is bad. In fact, per Consumer Reports, BMW is the highest-ranked among German brands when it comes to reliability. It's in second place overall, only behind Subaru.
Also, BMW isn't the only one behind the trend. Toyota and Lexus are also at fault here. Audi is perhaps the guiltiest of them all for starting the movement with the "Singleframe" in the 2000s. It's just that BMW's execution proved to be arguably the most tasteless, dare we say.
