BMW Hofmesiter Kink on the 2018 BMW M4 Coupe
Photo: The News Wheel
Every automaker has its own design cues that it employs to differentiate its vehicles from competing brands. These characteristics may involve the shape of the grille, the shape of the taillights, the character lines, or other components.
These characteristics typically change from generation to generation, as brands strive to update their model designs to remain “trendy.” BMW, though, has a design attribute it’s maintained across its lineup for decades — and we’re not talking about its kidney grille. For the past half-century, BMW has instilled a design feature in many of its models called the Hofmeister Kink.
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The history of the Hofmeister Kink
If you look at the C-pillar on most cars (the slanted column between the second-row side window and the rear windshield), the pillar and the beltline typically meet in a angle. However, on BMW cars, there’s a third line in this angle: the Hofmeister Kink. Instead of the rear side window tapering into a sharp corner, the windows on BMW cars end in a rounded corner — an inward “kink” — that thickens the C-pillar (or D-pillar on SUVs).
Even many BMW owners don’t notice this or recognize it as a deliberate characteristic that BMW has employed since 1961. Yes, for almost 60 years, BMW has subtly featured the Hofmeister Kink in its models. Beginning with the BMW 1500 which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1961, pretty much every BMW has featured the Hofmeister Kink. The characteristic gets its name from BMW design chief Wilhelm Hofmeister, who introduced this as a deliberate “standard” in BMW design during his reign in the 1960s-70s.
While this design feature has been present on other OEM models throughout the 20th century, BMW has made it a signature characteristic. Since the attribute has become synonymous with BMW, other economy-class automakers have employed it in their model designs as they’ve attempted to move up-market. But, at the end of the day, BMW owns the Hofmeister Kink.
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Source: BMW Blog
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