BMW supports increased female designers in the auto industry

The automotive industry may be known to the public as a man’s world but BMW is contributing to adding diversity by supporting the increase of female designers. In the photo below is Martina Starke; she is BMW’s current head of color and trim design, material technology and design quality. BMW is looking to add even more female designers to their talent pool.

Other automakers are also trying to even out the male and female influence in terms of design. In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Starks says it has become a lot better for female designers in recent history. “The car industry is still very male but that is changing. When I started in BMW we had no women in exterior design. Now we have more. We also have more females [in the design department] than in other parts of BMW.”

Another influential woman in the automotive design industry is Claudia Braun, head of color and trim for Mercedes-Benz. “The car is becoming more and more a lifestyle product,” Braun told Automotive News Europe. “The technical aspects are changing and jobs in the car industry are changing as well. You have to communicate a lot, work holistically and be open to changes. Women feel very familiar with these requirements.”

In fact, women in the auto industry now excel at things other than color and trim levels. Michelle Christensen, for example, was in charge of leading the exterior design of the Acura NSX which is equivalent now to a mid-engine supercar icon.

Agneta Dahlgren, who designs Renault’s compact cars, still thinks that the industry can open up to females more by educating more females with in-demand skills. “Do girls have exactly the same interest in cars as boys when they are very young? It’s difficult to say. I’m not sure girls are not born to play with cars, but we educate boys and girls differently from the beginning,” said Dahlgren. “What we do know is that fewer girls end up in automotive design schools.”

Even if the automotive industry is still male-dominated, things are getting better and more diversity is happening year after year.