Flash.(Briefs)(appointments, product information, obituaries)

BMW design doings

As we reported (AW, Feb. 2), Chris Bangle, the oft-maligned maestro of BMW design, has officially moved to director of BMW Group Design and oversees a reorganized set of design departments including Mini and Rolls-Royce. Replacing Bangle as head of design for BMW automobiles is Adrian van Hooydonk, who had been president of DesignworksUSA, BMW's California design studio.

Individual studios have been set up for each of BMW's divisions. The studios will be involved in new model development from the first sketches to production.

Elise released

The 2005 Lotus Elise that goes on sale in the States in May won't have to meet U.S. headlight and bumper standards until the redesigned model arrives in 2006. Lotus officials say the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin-istration gave the company a three-year exemption from the standards. Our sister publication, Automotive News, reports that Lotus invested $27 million in efforts to meet U.S. standards but was unable to find an affordable, practical means of meeting the bumper and headlight regulations.

Clearing the decks

Nissan's full-size sport/utility vehicle will henceforth be known as Armada, dropping the company's popular Pathfinder moniker from its name in all marketing and consumer materials. Vehicle badging won't change until the 2005 model year, however. Nissan officials say the Pathfinder reference was valuable during the eight-passenger SUV's launch, but Armada can now stand on its own. Nissan also will avoid confusion when it brings out the next-generation midsize Pathfinder as a 2005 model.