Former Polestar design chief moves to BMW to oversee Alpina

Maximilian Missoni will also oversee the design of BMW’s upper mid-size and luxury-class models

Former Polestar design boss Maximilian Missoni has joined BMW to lead design for Alpina as it begins life under full BMW ownership.

Arriving as part of a wide-reaching shake-up of design teams at the BMW Group, Missoni will also oversee the design of upper mid-size and luxury-class BMW models.

Other notable moves at the German firm include BMW design chief Domagoj Dukec taking over at Rolls-Royce from Anders Warming, who becomes head of the Group's global Designworks operation. 

Missoni, who was Polestar’s design chief since its formation in 2018, announced his departure from the Swedish brand last month.

He was succeeded by Philipp Römers, who was previously Audi’s head of exterior design and is credited with designing cars including the previous A6, current A8 and E-tron GT, as well as the Mk7 Volkswagen Golf.

Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath (who will leave his role in October) said: “I thank Max for his leadership and companionship during the inception of Polestar as Europe’s only pure-EV brand.

"Max established the innovative design standards that combine aesthetics, luxury and performance in a way that is truly Polestar. We wish him all the best in the future.

“At the same time, I am delighted to welcome Philipp to Polestar. Philipp’s modern approach to automotive design and experience from the luxury performance segment will really support us as we take the next step in developing our model line-up.” 

Römers arrives at a critical moment in Polestar’s development, as it expands from one model, the 2, to a broader line-up of luxury EVs. It’s aiming for break-even cashflow and 155,000 sales next year.

Römers is likely to be charged with designing the follow-up to the 2 and facelifting the 3, 4, 5 and 6.