Person attributes
German-born Juliane Blasi knew she wanted to design cars since high school. Pursuing her passion, she landed a job at BMW. And, won a contest to design its next roadster just a couple years later ~ the first woman in the company's history to earn that privilege.
Together with Nadya Arnaout {a colleague at BMW's California Designworks studio}, Juliane created BMW's first hardtop convertible. Upon its release in 2009, the 89 Z4 was an instant hit...a car so macho ~ said one male reviewer ~ that when you drive it "you hear girls start questioning their choice of boyfriend." The industry accolades are proof that sex has nothing to do with car design. Juliane hopes they've laid a foundation for others to follow. "I can work well with women," she says, "and I would like to do it more often."