car design thread

Old news, but of some interest to designers here.......the genesis of the '63 split-window Corvette......esp. the historical tidbit on the history of the 'split'......
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/i-was-there-3?refer=hccweekly&utm_source=hccweekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-06-03

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Yet another from Hemmings; very kool 3-D renderer, Dan Palatnik.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2020/05/31/filling-in-the-blanks-of-automotive-history-with-3d-modeler-dan-palatnik?refer=hccweekly&utm_source=hccweekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-06-03
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Even some that don't exist.......

 

And to realize there had to be a string of the highest level executives that all put their OK on it to proceed to production. Sad, very sad.

 

They did the write up in Auto Design. I have to say BMW's are starting to look very Asian. This could be a KIA, Honda, Toyota, Nissan. Love the grill

Time to fire the designer, although it probably sells to "this generation"

Titanic if it sank in 2020 with "this generation" capturing the whole event...



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http://autodesignmagazine.com/en/2020/06/bmw-series-4-step-change/?fbclid=IwAR3WtwHs50ZY0Vjw2XF8ykpb80CgCExlzI32rqd8esJEn0iDn3mxNsfQVxo

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John and I have been holding a conversation that we think others might want to participate in.

I will start with one of my comments. The premise is that almost all the OEMs are not doing a credible job with Design. [I see a difference of production cars versus the concept cars; one is real that had to survive the process] Some are decidedly worse than others but it is real hard to find one that can be pointed at to say that they are consistently doing a great job and leading the way forward.

I wonder if some of the problem with design at all the OEMs is:

1) So many of the design leaders and the near leader level people are moving around so much. (a) Are they populating their last place's aesthetic into too many of the new places? (b) Are they being hired because they are expected to bring that with them?

2) There is no real design leadership by any OEM so there is no place to look at for executive management (design and otherwise) to gauge themselves against.

3) With the international convergence of platform sizing and the application of worldwide regulatory requirements, has it made it too hard to be a unique design without doing weird design ****?

4) Has the use of consumer clinics killed the ability to be different in a good way?

5) Are the OEMs too filled with layers of management that think of the company like stock traders instead of being car people?

I don't know. What I do believe is not a problem is that the designers still come from only a couple of proper schools (CCS, ACCD - I still see almost all the others as pretenders). I would disagree with any idea that this promotes sameness in design; sameness in techniques is not a problem.

Whatever it is, its a sad state of affairs.

 

And you're saying the rear end is even worse than this front end??????????? Holy ****!
I don't think I would want to be seen driving this car, let alone the thought of paying for it...........

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Do you agree or disagree that the assorted manufacturers are doing a credible job with their Design?

If the answer is no, what do you think are some of the reasons causing this?

 

Well... this is pretty hard for me as a consumer (non-designer) to answer, but I'll give it a stab.

No, I don't think OEMs are doing a credible job with design.

Questions 1 and 2 are impossible for me to answer as someone who has never worked in the design profession.

3) I certainly think this is part of it. Even beyond convergence of platform sizing, some manufacturers are even sharing platforms (e.g. Citroen, Peugeot, & MINI). Overall shapes, as I understand the issue, such as high hood/bonnet heights are dictated by pedestrian crash regulations mandating a certain amount of space between them and mileage requirements have forced modification of some designs to achieve milestones set by fuel economy regulations. Perhaps the move into electric vehicles, as uninspiring a method of propulsion as that is, might actually free up more of the shape of the vehicle for designers even if platform sharing might well reduce car design to dressing up standard skateboards.

4) I think consumer clinics are a great way to ensure non-offensive mediocrity. The overall shapes of cars are going to be homogenized, which might well put additional pressure on styling details to demonstrate any individuality or brand nomenclature. With as successful as the stupid oversized grills have been in the truck world, it seems that manufacturers have concentrated on unique grill shapes and then oversized them to give the vehicles character. From just in front of the front wheels to just behind the rear wheels, it would be very difficult to see any kind of brand identity these days (at least for me as a consumer). The grill, headlights, and tail lights are where the primary differences are. Front and rear bumpers, front spoilers, and rear diffusers are all just a mess of vents styled by the wind tunnel, so despite being radically different they somehow all look the same for being an element of jarring chaos afflicting most vehicles.

5) Yes. It looks like they've decided that performance (or at least the appearance of it) sells. Even front-wheel drive economy cars are dressed up with the overwrought performance styling of a Nürburgring track warrior's steed. Cars these days are a complete mess on the design/styling front. Sophisticated and clean are not within most people's price points. Even at higher price points, it almost looks like there's no confidence in the basic elements of the design and cars are still made with an over-styled appearance that comes across as chintzy.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Which few did you have in mind, Majesty?

All the best,
Andrew.

 

So this is where the modern Z car came from...
On the designing profession, when Standard Oil broke up into many smaller companies to hide its oligarch rule, same thing happened with the automobile industry. And these shell companies weren't limited to one continent, so this is why artists will be limited by a mafia that profits from a 'planned obsolescence' downgrade in new car designs.
Give me a Ferrari 308 knockoff with 120 horse power for $25,000... no company would do it.
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Slightly off topic but do you roll your eyes at the costumes in the Marvel movies like I do?

 

Thing is, its not just automobiles. Overwrought design is everywhere these days. I used to be a designer for movies and I roll my eyes at the overwrought designs in the Marvel movies.

 

All of the Marvel designers are my facebook friends so I try to be as polite about it as possible. lol

 

On the matter of consumer clinics... here's a better alternative.

What if you had say 3 designers with 3 very different designs for an upcoming car. Invite any consumer who wants to attend to judge the cars. Tell the judging consumers that they can vote on the best design by placing a deposit for an order of the vehicle they like best. If they don't like any, they can just leave. If their chosen vehicle has the most deposits, it wins, gets built, and the deposits become non-refundable. If their chosen vehicle is eliminated, they get their deposits refunded with the option to place it on the winning design to be amongst the first to own it, or they can just leave.

The designer of the winning car gets control to bring the concept into production reality. The production car should be faithful to the concept, the consumer gets no say over the details, and design elements are not merged between the 3 different concepts.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Today's residential architecture. Too many gables seems to be the current fad along with complicated roof lines. Why? Ugly cars, ugly houses, it's everywhere.

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