Photo Courtesy: bmwusa.com

Ever since the debut of the current generation BMW 7 series, many auto enthusiasts and journalists have been screaming for the head Chris Bangle, BMW’s design chief. He’s the man most publicly responsible for the design change going on at the maker of “ultimate driving machines.”

Of all models released since the Bangle Revolution, the 7 series has perhaps the largest target on it. That target comes in the form of the (in)famous “Bangle Bustle” trunklid. The front end with its “eyebrow” turn signals above the headlight clusters has also had its fair share of complaints.

Proving equally inflammatory is BMW’s i-Drive system where one knob on the center arm rest is responsible for almost all controls, including the NAV and audio systems. i-Drive has reportedly been downright confounding to many who have had the opportunity to try it.

Combine these two elements, stir in executives who refuse to admit wrong, and you have the recipe for a firestorm. At first BMW execs clung to the belief that they were just ahead of consumers, that people would “get used” to the new designs and technology. Now Helmut Panke, BMW’s chairman, tells Fortune Magazine is admitting that perhaps the company bit off too much too soon.

“I admit the intensity of the public debate over our new design (which began with the 7-series) did suprise me. There are still too many articles focusing on 'I wish this car looked different blah, blah, blah.' The 7-series was a combination of completely new technology with new design direction. The key point is that we should never make big steps in strategic directions without preparing our customers.”

A company insider told Top Gear, “It's a weight off everyone's shoulders, Panke has finally said what we all knew but could not say - that we tried to do too much, too soon with the 7-series and we did it in the wrong market. We were too far ahead of the audience and lost a lot of goodwill.”

Echoing the “we moved too fast for our slow-minded buyers” conga line was Bangle himself. “Did we move in the right direction with design? Yes. Could we have done more to explain what we were doing and why? Yes."

While one wonders how BMW could explain the 7 series to consumers in a way that would change their taste in automotive aesthetics, it appears that despite their insistence that they were simply ahead of the times, BMW execs may have given up on waiting for consumers to “catch up.” Rumors persist that a facelifted 7 series is set to debut within the next twelve months or so. Top Gear reports work is being done to “soften” some of the car’s more striking details like the trunklid.

No word yet on whether or not BMW will chuck the equally controversial i-Drive system. While i-Drive has been improved in subsequent models like the new 5 series, many still believe it is far from being the perfect answer to more traditional instrument panel designs.