DesignworksUSA

What DesignworksUSA does

DesignworksUSA, Inc. is a global design consultancy operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW Group since 1995. Founded in 1972 by Chuck Pelly in Malibu, California, the firm runs three studios in Los Angeles (corporate headquarters), Munich, and Shanghai, serving both BMW Group brands — BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce — and external enterprise clients across automotive, aviation, marine, micromobility, consumer electronics, and urban infrastructure. The studio employs a multidisciplinary model spanning industrial design, automotive exterior/interior design, interaction and UX design, digital experience, brand identity, strategy consulting, and sustainable material strategy, with roughly 100-150 staff across the three locations.

Designworks' core technical capabilities include AI-as-craft world-building tools used to shape BMW's Neue Klasse platform and design language, proprietary gaze detection systems (BMW i Interaction EASE), Shy Tech embedded interfaces that communicate through illuminated surfaces and projected images, a circular material library with bio-based inputs like AmpliTex, and modular space configurations supporting autonomous-driving interior scenarios. Concept-to-production outputs span aircraft cabins (SPACEFRAME economy seat, The BOW VIP cabin for Lufthansa Technik, STARLUX A321neo, EVA Air 787), sustainable mobility (THE ICON, Sirius Jet, BMW Electric Wingsuit), EV charging infrastructure (IONITY's 400-station European HPC network, BMW Welt charging experience), digital products (BMW Configurator, MINI Mixed Reality), and licensed micromobility concepts (LUYUAN Group's Dynamic Cargo and Clever Commute).

Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements priced custom per scope and complexity, with multi-year contracts typical and no public pricing tiers. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by case-study publication, industry event presence (CES, Aircraft Interiors Expo, IAA), thought leadership content, and reputation-based referrals, with emerging licensing income from IP deals such as the 2025 LUYUAN partnership. Customer segments are horizontal, with automotive and aviation as primary verticals and consumer products, urban mobility, and agriculture as secondary. As a BMW Group subsidiary, Designworks does not publish independent financial statements and operates without external funding.

Name

DesignworksUSA

Legal name

DesignworksUSA, Inc.

Website

https://bmwgroupdesignworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Designworks is a BMW Group-owned global design consultancy operating studios in Los Angeles, Munich, and Shanghai, delivering industrial, automotive, aviation, digital experience, and strategy design services to BMW Group brands and external enterprise clients across mobility sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Design Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142), Interior Design Services (54141), Other Specialized Design Services (54149), Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL), Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Industrial design services
• Automotive design consulting
• Interaction design UX
• Aviation interior design
• Design strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Design Consulting Services: Designworks generates revenue through client engagements for design, digital, and strategy consulting services. Projects span industrial design, automotive design, aviation interiors, product design, interaction design, UX/UI design, brand identity, and strategic consulting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DesignworksUSA operates as a global design consultancy providing industrial design, automotive design, aviation interior design, interaction design, UX/UI, brand identity, and design strategy services. The firm delivers project-based consulting engagements to enterprise clients across automotive, aviation, marine, micromobility, consumer electronics, and public infrastructure sectors, operating three studios in Los Angeles, Munich, and Shanghai.

Product overview

Designworks is BMW Group's global design consultancy operating studios in Los Angeles, Munich, and Shanghai. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of design services including industrial design, automotive design, interaction design, UX/UI, strategy, and consulting. Their product portfolio spans aircraft cabin concepts (The BOW VIP Cabin, SPACEFRAME Economy Seat, EVA Air Business Class, STARLUX Airlines Fleet), sustainable mobility innovations (THE ICON, Sirius Jet, BMW Electric Wingsuit), automotive design (BMW i Interaction EASE, BMW Configurator), infrastructure design (IONITY Charging Network, BMW Welt EV Charging), digital products, and collaboration projects. The company serves external clients across aviation, automotive, marine, micromobility, technology, and consumer goods industries while supporting BMW Group brands including BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Design Services Comprehensive industrial design services including product design, transportation design, color/material/finish design, prototyping, model fabrication, and sustainable material strategy for automotive, aviation, marine, and micromobility industries.
• Interaction Design & UX Services Interaction design, user experience strategy, brand identity design, UX/UI design, motion graphics, animation, virtual and augmented reality experiences, website design, and app design services for enterprise clients.
• Strategy & Consulting Services Future context research, consumer research, trend and market research, design strategy, brand strategy, future product and service scenarios, and innovation strategy and roadmapping services for enterprise clients.
• Automotive Design Services Automotive concept development, exterior and interior design, color and material design, experience design, and mobility concept development for BMW Group brands and external clients.
• The BOW VIP Cabin Concept A modular narrowbody VIP cabin concept designed for premium group flights accommodating up to 28 high-profile passengers. Features 14 private suites, a transformative lounge, and integrated NICE management platform control. Created in collaboration with Lufthansa Technik.
• SPACEFRAME Economy Seat Concept An economy-class aircraft seat concept featuring a lightweight composite exoskeleton and forward-sliding recline mechanism, designed to improve passenger comfort while reducing aircraft weight and supporting sustainability through engineered disassembly for recycling.
• BMW i Interaction EASE Future autonomous vehicle concept featuring gaze detection AI, Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA), gesture control, and eye-tracking technology representing human-like interaction between passenger and vehicle.
• THE ICON A sustainable mobility breakthrough representing Designworks' vision for future sustainable transportation solutions.
• BMW Configurator Digital configuration platform making digital vehicle configuration a true brand experience, enabling customers to customize and visualize BMW vehicles.

Quantifiable outcome

• BMW Neue Klasse platform: up to 40 models planned by 2027
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered key, notable and minor.

• Lufthansa TechnikkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 April 2026Designworks collaborated with Lufthansa Technik to unveil 'The BOW' - a modular narrowbody VIP cabin concept at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. The concept integrates BMW's automotive design expertise with Lufthansa Technik's high-end cabin technology, featuring 14 private suites and a transformative lounge. This collaboration represents a new market category bridging private jets and business class.
• STARLUX AirlineskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignworks designed the interior for STARLUX's new fleet of A321neos, creating a luxury brand experience through layered textures and regional Taiwanese hospitality elements rather than pervasive logo use.
• EVA AirkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignworks created a new business class seat and cabin design for EVA Air's Boeing 787, focusing on giving business travelers an uncompromised premium in-flight experience that offsets the disruption of travel.
• IONITYkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignworks served as design partner for IONITY's European high-power-charging network, designing charging station architecture, charger pylons, and digital interaction concept. The goal was to create a recognizable, welcoming visual identity that dispels range concerns and makes e-mobility attractive for long-distance travel.
• TranzitonotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignworks partnered with Tranzito and the City of Los Angeles to execute the Sidewalk Transit Amenities Program (STAP), improving the experience for 900,000 public transit riders through redesigned bus shelters with modular shade-focused designs and real-time E-Ink information displays.
• GrammerkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignworks collaborated with Grammer to reimagine vehicle interiors for the autonomous driving era, creating the PURE concept with three versatile experience modes: Productivity, Relaxation, and Social.
• Sea RaynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignworks collaborated with Sea Ray to develop a new and sophisticated design language for future Sea Ray boats, bringing automotive design expertise to marine design.
• LUYUAN GroupnotableOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerBMW Group officially granted licenses to LUYUAN Group for the Dynamic Cargo and Clever Commute micromobility concepts developed by BMW, with Designworks partnering on product design. Faissner Petermeier Fahrzeugtechnik AG was engaged for European market compliance.
• Santa Monica CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignworks collaborated with Santa Monica College interaction design students on a project to design an intuitive, appealing on-demand autonomous mobility experience, focusing on inclusive mobility solutions.
• GenslernotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignworks partnered with architecture firm Gensler to explore how collaborative approach to mobility and architecture could create symbiosis between cities, inhabitants, and their mobility.
• Material Manufacturers (Pioneering)keyTechnology or IntegrationDesignworks partners with pioneering material manufacturers for the BMW Visionary Materials project, exploring new ways to design seats without compromising quality while embodying circularity. Includes collaborations on bio-based materials like AmpliTex and secondary materials designed for disassembly.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ammunition Group: Ammunition Group, founded by former Apple designer Robert Brunner, is a San Francisco-based design studio focused on industrial design, brand strategy, and product design for premium clients including Beats by Dre, Adobe, and Williams-Sonoma. Comparable to Designworks as a premium, founder-led industrial design practice with cross-industry reach.
• IDEO: IDEO is one of the most established global design consultancies, offering industrial design, interaction design, and strategy services to enterprise clients across multiple industries. Directly comparable to Designworks in service mix, client profile (premium enterprise), and cross-disciplinary approach, though IDEO operates independently rather than as an OEM subsidiary.
• Teague: Teague is a Seattle-based design consultancy with deep specialization in transportation design (aviation, rail, automotive) and product design. Directly comparable to Designworks' aviation interior work (Lufthansa Technik, EVA Air, STARLUX) and automotive design heritage, serving many of the same enterprise client categories.
• Bresslergroup: Bresslergroup is a Philadelphia-based industrial design and engineering consultancy specializing in consumer products, medical devices, and connected hardware. Comparable mid-sized design consultancy competing for similar industrial design engagements with a research-driven, multidisciplinary approach similar to Designworks.
• RKS Design: RKS Design is a California-based industrial design and innovation consultancy with expertise in consumer products, sustainability, and human-centered design. Comparable to Designworks in mid-size premium industrial design services, sustainable materials focus, and cross-industry client base.
• Smart Design: Smart Design is a global design consultancy with industrial design, UX, and innovation strategy offerings serving enterprise clients in consumer products, transportation, and healthcare. Comparable in scale, multi-disciplinary approach, and client mix, with similar cross-industry design transfer capabilities.
• Pentagram: Pentagram is a partner-led design consultancy specializing in brand identity, graphic design, digital design, and product design. Comparable to Designworks' brand identity, UX, and strategy services; both operate premium design practices serving enterprise clients, though Pentagram is more brand-focused versus Designworks' transportation emphasis.
• frog (Capgemini Invent): frog is a global design and innovation consultancy now part of Capgemini Invent, providing industrial design, UX, and digital transformation services. Direct competitor in the premium transportation, consumer, and tech design space, with a comparable global studio footprint and cross-industry portfolio.

Emerging players

• Aruliden: Aruliden is a New York- and Amsterdam-based design consultancy offering industrial design, brand strategy, and UX services to clients including Google, Samsung, and Lufthansa. Comparable to Designworks as a multi-disciplinary design consultancy serving premium enterprise clients across consumer and transportation sectors, though at smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey Design (Lunar): McKinsey Design, backed by global strategy consultancy McKinsey, acquired Danish design firm Lunar to offer integrated strategy-plus-design services. Comparable as a premium design consultancy competing for enterprise transportation and consumer clients, but with significantly greater scale and parent backing similar to Designworks' BMW Group relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bmwdesignworks
• Facebookfacebook.com/bmwdesignworksusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bmw-group-designworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DesignworksUSA