BMW designer Chris Bangle defiant, almost

Pictures of the 3 Series Convertible released last week confirm that all variants of BMW's mainstay have a much less challenging look than the 7 Series, 5 Series or Z4, the controversial models which spearheaded the change.

The most radical thing about the Convertible is its folding metal roof — a first for the luxury brand.

But Bangle, who was in Sydney for the opening of the Australian Motor Show, said the 3 would be shocking without the precedent of the other models. Rather than an about-turn, it reflected a "tuning" of the ideas.

The Convertible will debut at January's Detroit Motor Show and be in Australian showrooms by April, with a model range that mirrors the recently released 3 Series Coupe and prices starting around $95,000.

Despite a storm of criticism and even a hate website, Bangle said he would do none of the designs differently but would use different language to describe them.

"The biggest mistake we ever made was coming up with a word for this and calling it 'flame'," he said, referring to his signature technique which exploits convex and concave surfaces.

The BMW designs stood out, he said, because the "context of change was so flat".

"There was a vehement reaction to the unexpected. People never said per se this is right or wrong."

Bangle believes that the rest of the industry has followed where BMW led, but the company is still on a mission.

"We have to stay in front but we also have to reinforce this continuously so that every customer can be part of the movement."

However, when it comes to the ergonomically challenged interiors, even Bangle admits using the cupholder of his 7 Series to store his phone. "We can get better (at interiors)," he said.