Dear Mr BMW (Part 1)

I'm afraid I have so much to say to you that I will have to address you in multiple parts.

I used to admire your design. You managed to take each generation of your models and evolve them in such a way that the out-going model was still desireable and yet the new one was even more so. It was a pleasure to watch the launch of each 3-series and think "Yup, they've done it again."

Those days have, sadly, gone. And it was the latest 3-series that started it, I think.

The whole design ethos looks a little clumsy now. You just about get away with it on the 3 and, let's face it, you could make that look like anything and still sell bucket-loads to companies whose employees still thing they've "arrived" once they can choose a Beemer as their company car. And so I sort of applaud you for the 1-series so that ore junior staff could get that warm fuzzy feeling. Shame, then, that it's such an ugly-duckling.

And as for the X1. What is that all about? It looks as if someone designed it the drove it at speed into a brick wall, and then reversed it into another equally solid object. Take a look for yourself..

More later.