Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
You could say BMW has been on a design streak lately. Whether that streak has been good or moderately horrifying is up to you, reader. But there’s no doubt that BMW’s designs are the cornerstone of many cases of Extreme Car Enthusiasm. How many of you grew up adoring the E46 3 Series? Or, more recently, the F87 M2? For the sports car folks, how about the E85 Z4?
You may think those cars came from BMW's HQ in Munich, but almost all of them came from a company called Designworks. Based in Los Angeles, Designworks have even more heavy hitters beyond what I just listed: The E53 X5, the I01 i3, and the stunning E31 8 Series. Designworks has even done random things, like the current-generation M Carbon Bucket seats, iDrive, and a first-class aircraft cabin.
I got a chance to visit the studio privately to see how BMW design really gets done. If nothing else, a company that produced both the F80 M3 and the BMW XM within the same decade is a fascinating one to explore.
Sign up for Motor1's Newsletter to get our content sent straight to your inbox:
motor1.com/newsletter
00:00 - Introduction
00:54 - Z4 Design Buck
01:07 - AI Workstation
02:14 - History of Designworks
03:10 - BMW Color Archive
04:40 - Relaxation Station
05:17 - VR Station
05:48 - Design Wall
06:33 - Materials Inspiration
07:03 - Completed Projects
07:50 - Conclusion
Follow Motor1 at:
instagram.com/motor1com
facebook.com/motor1com
https://x.com/Motor1com
tiktok.com/@motor1.com
motor1.com/newsletter
You could say BMW has been on a design streak lately. Whether that streak has been good or moderately horrifying is up to you, reader. But there’s no doubt that BMW’s designs are the cornerstone of many cases of Extreme Car Enthusiasm. How many of you grew up adoring the E46 3 Series? Or, more recently, the F87 M2? For the sports car folks, how about the E85 Z4?
You may think those cars came from BMW's HQ in Munich, but almost all of them came from a company called Designworks. Based in Los Angeles, Designworks have even more heavy hitters beyond what I just listed: The E53 X5, the I01 i3, and the stunning E31 8 Series. Designworks has even done random things, like the current-generation M Carbon Bucket seats, iDrive, and a first-class aircraft cabin.
I got a chance to visit the studio privately to see how BMW design really gets done. If nothing else, a company that produced both the F80 M3 and the BMW XM within the same decade is a fascinating one to explore.
Sign up for Motor1's Newsletter to get our content sent straight to your inbox:
motor1.com/newsletter
00:00 - Introduction
00:54 - Z4 Design Buck
01:07 - AI Workstation
02:14 - History of Designworks
03:10 - BMW Color Archive
04:40 - Relaxation Station
05:17 - VR Station
05:48 - Design Wall
06:33 - Materials Inspiration
07:03 - Completed Projects
07:50 - Conclusion
Follow Motor1 at:
instagram.com/motor1com
facebook.com/motor1com
https://x.com/Motor1com
tiktok.com/@motor1.com
motor1.com/newsletter
