“If you look at the car you should not be able to see whether it was designed by a woman or a man.” – Juliane Blasi
When the second generation of the BMW Z4 (E89) was unveiled in 2009, it was a smash hit with buyers and car reviewers drawn to its fierce macho lines. At the same time, the release of the roadster caused a stir as it was the first BMW automobile to be designed by two women.
Juliane Blasi and Nadya Arnaout delivered another huge surprise as they were considered very young – 32 years old and 37 years old respectively at that time – to shoulder the responsibility for the design of such an important car.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s look at this dynamic duo who have proven that neither gender nor age has anything to do with delivering an iconic automotive design.
Juliane Blasi and Nadya Arnaout
What they gave us: BMW Z4 (E89)
Juliane joined BMW in 2003, and two years later, moved to BMW’s DesignworksUSA design studio in California as part of an exchange program. There she met Nadya, a talented colleague who had recently switched to interior auto design after being a product designer for a few years.
Their paths crossed in 2006 when BMW announced an internal competition for its designers to come up with its next roadster. Competitors had to submit design sketches and full-size clay models. They also had to remain anonymous initially to prevent any age, gender or personality bias.
The two Germans decided to team up for the competition; Juliane worked on the exterior design while Nadya focused on the interior. And the rest was history.
They won the competition with their beautiful co-creation of a BMW roadster with a retractable hardtop roof, the first for the BMW Z series, and a streamlined asymmetric interior.
The BMW Z4 (E89) was an immediate commercial and critical success. It was launched in various markets in 2009. In the same year, it won a slew of awards, including the International Design Excellence Award (IDEA); 2009 Eyes on Design Award for best production vehicle, and German Red Dot Design Award.
The BMW Z4 (E89) remained in production till 2016.
Download the BMW Z4 specifications card
Since then, Juliane has continued her work with new concepts and designs with BMW. This includes trying to design a new shape for a sports car with the BMW Vision Connected Drove prototype. Nadya, meanwhile, joined Tesla Motors in 2010 as a lead interior designer.
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We say “danke” to them for bringing us one of the most iconic BMWs.
Happy International Women’s Day!
Want to read more about amazing women such as Juliane Blasi and Nadya Arnaout? Here’s someone else who had been a trailblazer for women in automotive: Dorothy Levitt.
Sources:
- Wikipedia
- Juliane Blasi pens the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive Concept
- BMW Car Designers throughout history
Main photo
(Updated: 6 March 2024)
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