BMW Motorrad hands development reins to veteran engineer Josef Honeder
With decades of BMW experience behind him, Josef Honeder returns to BMW Motorrad to take charge of its global development programme.
Josef Honeder will step into the role of Head of Development at BMW Motorrad from 1 June 2026, taking charge of the brand’s entire technical direction across its future motorcycle line-up.
The move puts Honeder at the centre of everything from early-stage concepts through to engineering, testing and the ongoing development of new tech across BMW’s bikes. It’s a wide remit, and one that effectively hands him the keys to how the next generation of BMW motorcycles will be designed, built and refined.
He replaces Christof Lischka, who leaves the BMW Group after overseeing a period that delivered a steady stream of new models and updates across the range.
Honeder isn’t new to the BMW ecosystem. A mechanical engineering graduate, he brings more than two decades of experience within the wider BMW Group, having held multiple senior roles tied to vehicle development and powertrain engineering. Most recently, his focus has been on developing powertrain and fuel supply systems – an area that remains critical as manufacturers juggle performance targets with tightening emissions regulations.
There’s also a direct link back to bikes, as between 2011 and 2013, Honeder was already embedded within BMW Motorrad, working across various development programmes. His return suggests a deliberate move to blend deep automotive engineering knowledge with an understanding of the brand’s two-wheeled DNA.
The appointment lands at a time when BMW Motorrad is in the middle of a sustained product push, with new models and updates arriving at a steady pace. Bringing in someone with Honeder’s background signals a continued emphasis on technical evolution, particularly as the industry leans harder into efficiency, alternative powertrains and increasingly complex electronics.
In short, this isn’t just a reshuffle at the top, but more a move that will likely shape how BMW’s bikes feel, perform and evolve over the next few years.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
