Karim Habib will take over as Head of BMW design on June 1, 2012 according to the automaker today. Credited with styling the exteriors of the current 7 series and 2007 Concept CS sports sedan, the 42 year old Lebanon born Canadian has been in charge of Exterior Design BMW automobiles since March 2011.

Habib will take overall charge of the design of BMW cars and he will report to Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW group design.

"Karim Habib is an outstanding designer who has had a significant impact on the design of the BMW brand over many years," said Hooydonk. "His longstanding experience and subtle instinct for timely elegance and dynamics are the ideal prerequisites for this demanding task. I look forward very much to his support and collaboration," he added.

Habib joined the BMW Group in 1998 where he remained for the next 10 years working on a number of concept and production vehicles before moving to Stuttgart and the Bavarian company's archrival Mercedes-Benz for close to two years, only to return to Munich in December of 2010.