Karim Habib named Infiniti design director

Automotive Design 17 Mar 2017

Karim Habib, former Head of BMW Design, has been named Head of INFINITI Design, effective July 1, 2017.

Karim Habib, who left BMW back in January, will be based in the company’s technical center in Atsugi, Japan and lead the global Infiniti design teams in Japan; Beijing, China; San Diego, USA and London, England.

He will report to Alfonso Albaisa, newly appointed Senior Vice President Global Design for NISSAN Motor Corporation.

Official Statements

“We are happy to have Karim join us and head our global Infiniti design teams. During his career as a designer and a leader of global teams he always created modern and inspiring designs,” said Alfonso Albaisa.

“Karim is very skilled at capturing the heart and passion of a brand while at the same time giving each design its unique character. I look forward to Karim inspiring our teams to shape the next generation of Infiniti’s.”

“Karim has a strong background and impressive track record in automotive design and the knowledge and mindset to develop a global premium brand” said Roland Krueger, Global President of Infiniti Motors Limited

“Design is one of the key pillars of our global brand development at Infiniti. Karim brings unique design skills that will accelerateInfiniti’s progress toward the goal of capturing and expanding our share in the global luxury market.”

Karim Habib

Karim Habib entered the automotive industry after earning a Mechanical engineering degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and a design degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, USA.

The Lebanon-born Canadian spent the first 10 years of his career working for the BMW Group, where he was responsible for the previous BMW 7 Series range and the BMW Concept CS.

In March 2009 Habib moved to Mercedes-Benz, leading the Stuttgart Advanced Design Studio and working on the current Mercedes-Benz C-Class as well as the new smart.