Yes, in the end, sales numbers are all these companies are interested in. But how well do you think sales will be when 80% of people hate the design (per BMW statements)! I think that is more than the percentage of people who hated the Pontiac Aztek (voted ugliest car in the world) when it came out. Even some dealers are hiding the 4 series from showroom floors. This has never been done before at BMW. Sales currently are very poor for the new 4. BMW blames this on COVID and that people are not interested in coupes (rubbish).
Regardless of sales, the new 4 and iX are confusing and discongruent design. All you need is an elementary school level of art. The themes are disjointed and look like a collage of clip-art. In addition, it does not take any advanced degrees to see how Karen Dukec is a narcissist based on his behaviors and comments (BTW, I do have advanced degrees on this topic).
If you are looking for someone who has advanced experience and credentials in design, let me introduce you to Frank Stephenson, the former head of BMW design and one of the most well respected designers in the world. He has been called "one of the most influential automotive designers of our time" by Motor Trend and designed the original X5, Ferrari F430 and FXX, Maserati MC12, McLaren MP4-12C, P1, 676LT, 570S, and 720S, has completely torn into BMW's new design language, starting with the new 4 series. It is very rare for a highly regarded designer to rip on his colleagues. It is only done when the design is so repulsive and repugnant that there is no way to sugar coat things. I.E., it is not politically correct to do what he did unless the offender (BMW) is being offensive.
He stated that "the huge grille is unrefined", the design is "difficult to understand", and the grill "doesn't go with the proportions of the rest of the coupe". These grills have been widely regarded as pig nostrils, which is not a good thing. In addition, he states that "it's weird that the positioning of the front license plate doesn't seem to have been considered when designing this car" and that "You can't forget about the registration plate".
He goes on to say that he regrets that BMW seems to have nearly eliminated the company's iconic Hofmeister kink and says there's "a lot happening" at the rear. Overall, he states that "BMW tossed the baby out with the bathwater."
Dukec will NEVER be regarded even remotely close to Frank. Dukec is a legend only in his own narcissistic, elitist mind.