BMW announces DesignWorksUSA studio and ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai

BMW has opened both a DesignWorks studio and a ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai, China, as a means of gathering information and insight into the Chinese market as the company looks to increase its presence in Asia.

Adrian van Hooydonk, Director BMW Group Design, said, "Creating this foothold for both BMW Group Design and DesignworksUSA in Shanghai is of great importance from both strategic and creative standpoints."

President of BMW Group DesignWorksUSA Laurenz Schaffer said, "Our new studio in Shanghai places DesignworksUSA at the epicenter of the most rapidly growing and influential consumer market in the world and provides an indispensable resource for shaping our global perspectives for clients."

The new studio will perform functions including product, transportation, automotive, environmental and interaction design; color, material and finish design; design communication, research and strategy as well as sustainability consulting. Designers from DesignworksUSA studio in Los Angeles, Munich and Singapore will supplement a local design team.

BMW has also announced the opening of another ConnectedDrive lab in addition to its current Munich and Mountain View, California, locations. It will explore advanced ConnectedDrive functions for convenience, infotainment and safety aimed specifically for its Chinese customers.

As the third largest market for BMW, the manufacturer has been building BMW 3 Series and BMW 5 Series models at its Shenyang as part of a joint venture with Brilliance since 2003. A second BMW production plant in Tiexi in the Shenyang region will be completed later this year, where the BMW X1 will be built.

By Rufus Thompson