car design thread

As I mentioned to Justin previously, I really can't speak to Cadillac's current strategic direction.
But your assessment regarding Cadillac's ability to charge over 100K is true. It will take more time to reestablish the brand's reputation to have the ability to charge Bentley,RR prices.
When the 16 Concept was done back in '03 there was a real desire to produce the vehicle........however.......getting it 'productionized' would have been a formidible task, and doing a 16 cyl engine required huge investments. All of which made the corporation wary given the state of the market during that time period. The goal was to get the bread & butter cars correct before going off and diverting resources to a 'what if' car.
The word is there will be a flagship above the CT6 that will be introduced this Fall. Stay tuned.

 

design discussion of the Bentley Bentayga at Frankfurt from Outline:

Designing an SUV Interior Worthy of Bentley ? Frankfurt Motor Show 2015 ? John's Journal on Autoline Interior

2016 Bentley Bentayga Breaks the SUV Rules ? Frankfurt Motor Show 2015 ? John's Journal on Autoline Exterior

 

this came in today's mail
what a stellar book on one of the true design talents for Ferrari & Pininfarina
goes into great detail on his whole career working on some true classic Ferraris
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one writer's opinion from Automotive News of the hits & misses from Frankfurt:

Frankfurt auto show hits and misses

 

will wonders never cease?
Giugiaro to buy the Bertone name?

from cardesignnews:
Giugiaro set to buy Bertone name for new venture
21 September 2015 | by Owen Ready
Giugiaro set to buy Bertone name for new venture
Another week, another twist in the Italian design-house soap opera plot. Just last week Walter de Silva was gifted the keys to Italdesign, the company that founder Giorgetto Giugiaro was ousted from by the Volkswagen Group after selling his remaining stake in the company in June. But it seems the 77 year-old master is far from ready to retire.

A number of sources closely related to the Turin car design industry have reported to us that Giugiaro is gearing up to buy the rights to the defunct Bertone name when the brand is auctioned off this week for around €3million. And while this remains speculation, he is making no secret of the fact he’s not ready to stop working any time soon.

Talking to Automotive News last week, he said: “I don’t feel old enough to retire. I will continue to do the only thing I'm good at – designing cars." In the report, Giorgetto and son Fabrizio are said to already be looking for suitable facilities for their new company.

But why would they use the Bertone name? There are a number of reasons, some more practical than others. Firstly the Bertone name, despite falling from grace before its eventual closure last year, is still widely known and synonymous with some of the most fantastic cars in history, some of which were designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro himself during his time at the company from 1960 to 1965. This gives it the immediate advantage of its heritage.

Secondly, because of rather complex Italian laws, there are a series of tax breaks for Italian companies which buy other Italian companies, so attaining the rights to a going concern is far more cost-effective than starting from scratch. The same applies to facilities – refurbishing existing premises avoids the infamous bureaucracy that is often a part of Italian business. Unfortunately the fabulous Bertone facilities have already been sold for redevelopment.

And, while Giugiaro is a famously pragmatic character, the opportunity to save a great Italian name from the scrapheap – and for it to stay Italian when even Pininfarina is set to be sold to Mahindra – will no doubt appeal to his idealistic side.

With offers of work already being made by Asian manufacturers, this may be the start of a new chapter in Giugiaro’s career that already contains his many remarkable achievements.

- See more at: Giugiaro set to buy Bertone name for new venture - Car Design News


http://europe.autonews.com/article/20150918/ANE/150919811/design-legend-giugiaro-plans-return-after-piech-setback?utm_content=buffer3205d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

again, I'm not a spokesperson, nor am i involved in the day to day process of bringing a car to fruition anymore, but way back when, there was a concerted effort to avoid having a customer pay any gas guzzler fines.....I'm going to guess that policy has not changed, but I certainly don't know for certain

 

Given the choice.......customers ALWAYS buy what they want/can afford Gov be damned
no matter how hard the Gov tries to force the public to buy what the Gov thinks one needs, people pretty much vote with their wallets
large SUV's/high performance cars, etc are not what the Gov wants us to buy....tell that to the users of this website

 

It is ironic he started there, and now may be the savior of the name.......who knew?

 

I can give you some of my personal experience. I began my career in the '70's, and you're correct, everything has changed in the last several decades.
That was a time when Federal regulations were generally in their infancy. Emission controls had already been implemented, but bumper regulations had just been introduced in the '70's, and pretty much every car company struggled initially to figure out how to pass the bumper requirements,and still do a good looking car.
That was also a time when you had a choice of 3 headlamps: 7" round or a large rectangular or 2 small rectangulars. The European composite headlamps would not be US legal till the '80's.
Aerodynamics had played a role for decades, but it became a serious study in an effort to meet ever increasing fuel economy standards. Along with reduced drag, the wind tunnel played an important role in cooling requirements. As cars became heavier, and more complex, cooling requirements became increasingly critical, so much time was spent tunnel testing designs for drag & cooling. The performance guys were also interested in downforce,etc.
Then airbags had to be packaged in the interior, first in the steering wheel, IP, then seat bags, side bags, etc. All these added further requirements to the interior design. Knee impact drove Instrument panel sections.
Rear view mirrors were another part that received further attention.
Side impact requirements became another factor in the '90's.
Once composite lamps became legal, there were a multitude of lighting requirements that had to be addressed. Center high mounted stop lamps (CHIMSL) were added to the reared designs as a requirements, along with specific lighting requirements for taillamps.
Glass technology has changed , but vision requirements are very specific.
Sheetmetal stamping, plastic molding technology presented their own unique requirements, but as technology improved, so did the knowledge and experience.
Paint systems had to change from solvent based to water based which changed the color palette extensively.
Electrical systems became more complex to accommodate all the additional electric components, which drives undressed temperatures and again cooling.
Pedestrian protection from the european standards are now affecting the solutions for front end design of both bumpers and hood heights.
Haven't touched much on interior design, but there have been a multitude of safety requirements affecting what can and cannot be done with interior design.
Even the inside trunk release was a new requirement that surfaced in the recent decade.

This is but a small sample, but I think you get the point.
Everything has changed in the last 40 -50 yrs.
Cars are safer, cleaner, and pretty much trouble free. Not something we might be able say 50 yrs ago!

 

to add to this list are the side impact door beams that go inside the doors.
they can limit some of the depth of features on the door surfaces depending on hinge criteria and depth of draw for the sheetmetal

 

showcar from 2001......still looks good today
by 'rippled effect' are you referring to the indentation/recessed area in the bodyside?

 

On closer examination, I now see what you are referring to.
I think old age has set in on the car
Don't believe that is intentional.
Concept cars are made of any number of materials, fiberglass, aluminum, carbon fiber, sheet metal. Hard to tell what that Lincoln was made out of

 

They did a series of cool Lincoln showcars.
They were all ignored.

 

several yrs ago, Lincoln gave the Senior Class at GGS a Lincoln project.
i thought there were several that hit the mark



and the one Lincoln did that was inspired by the '61 was also close to the mark IMHO
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have seen several MB S Class Coupes on the road recently & they are awesome looking

they have a real 'presence' and great stance IMO
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