car design thread

Lucid Motors.......yes that's their name..:


Why I Joined Lucid Motors
An Interview with Derek Jenkins, VP of Design
https://lucidmotors.com/en/stories/why-i-joined-lucid-motors


Derek was formerly Chief Designer at Mazda USA.

 

I am in no way a regular reader nor have insightful posts to my credit in this thread.. so here goes because it looks the right time and place and the group to ask..

Do you see the Chinese developing a unique "style" or something that looks like something you would say is "Chinese"..

I ask this because to my superficial impression to date:

- The Chinese have been doing a lot of copying of European designs.. early phase? That's what they do? They will "grow out of it" and do their own thing?

- Some cars look SO peculiar to my eyes that when I look at them it's almost inevitably French.. so perhaps it IS possible to have a broad "national style" that no-one else really does so much of?

Sorry - perhaps such things have been discussed to death here and I haven't read the requisite 500 pages.. so just "throwing it out there"!

On a broader note.. I hope we have interesting and unique designs forever.. I'd hate to see a generic global homogenisation of styles to morph into a single suite of predictable car bodies and shapes.

Sometimes I look at conservative (older) Toyotas for example and it looks as though it's been through a dozen committees in a dozen cycles.. each time leaching out ANYTHING of interest and leaving you with nothing except the blandest grille, body, doors, front and rear ends that you could possibly come up with and just to make it a moving collection of parts that just does the job.. sort of like automotive "white goods" really.

 

Alex, all good questions.
I am convinced the Chinese will do what they've set out to do, and that's become a major player in the automotive business. It's a mark of national pride that a country has a viable car business because of potential profits & national pride.The Chinese I've spoken to have made it clear that their goal is too do what the Japanese & Koreans did to the car market in ONE HALF the time. At all costs. Whatever it takes.
The Japanese back 30 - 40 yrs ago were caused of copying, and not being 'creative'. They have become a major force in the car mfg. game globally, and are still inventing who they are. Toyota/Lexus are finally addressing the criticism of dull/bland designs with some OTT designs. They certainly look Japanese and Nissan as well are flexing their japanese design muscles to establish their own look.
The Koreans likewise borrowed from the Germans & Americans & Japanese, and are just now looking to establish a look for their cars. Because we live in a global marketplace, they're playing it safe for the most part.
So what will the Chinese do? I'm with you in that some of the design I see coming out of China seems odd to my Western Design sensibilities. But to be very clear, they've hired many Western designers in an attempt to get the ball rolling faster and get their cars accepted here in the west.
Will they develop their own 'look'? I think so, but not until they gain a foothold in the Western/European/North American markets.
Give them a few years, and I know they'll deliver.
The ONLY caveat is will they be able to match/beat the quality of the other Asian/German/American competitors?
No matter how good or how cheap they make their cars (Yugo), none of it will matter if they build less than stellar quality, regardless of price.
So stay tuned, and we'll see if they're up to the task. It's one thing to have a goal, it's the execution that will be the deciding factor IMHO.
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Based on history they will make a reliable and inexpensive product made to appeal first to the North American market. They will be on par with the Korean and Japanese cars in styling.

Since I think Hillary will get in they should have no fears about a trade war at this point in time. Look for another large chunk of the American car market to be taken by the Chinese within 20 years, with most of the decline in sales coming from US bases companies.

 

So anyway, what the hell were they thinking....... It does look like a BUG.. Anyone have a fly swatter
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It stepped right out of Transformers, which appeals to a lot of people under 40

 

It is sooooo over the top, but they did exactly what they set out to do, and that's build a car that can go in excess of250 MPH

there is no mistaking what brand it is, and i'm guessing the people that can afford to buy one aren't exactly 'Shrinking Violets'. It won't blend in with the other traffic riff-raff. They definitely want to be seen, and to make a 'statement'.

While it's not for me, i do 'get it'

 

Exactly. It's all about the target audience, Oligarchs and Oil Sheiks. And their tastes tend to run at the loud and garish end of the scale. It's all about broadcasting your wealth.

 

'I've got it & you don't'

 

Yes. They have so much money floating about that one-upping each other on this level is just an idle game.

 

Today, the earth shifted on it's axis.
Mercedes is building and selling a Pick Up truck

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/mbpickup?source=feed_text&story_id=10154674505956670

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class Pickup Truck Is Here And It Looks Sleek
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It' appears to be a Nissan (Renault) under the skin.

No plans for it to be sold in the US.

Daimler and Nissan alliance; each owns a small part of the other.



Nissan (Renault) is going all-out. Going for Mitsubishi.

Also part of Lada.

 

You are probably correct for many buyers, but there are also a lot of young new money guys who grew up with Transformers and Gundam and this car looks like it stepped right out of those Anime. Its not necessarily about flaunting wealth as much as driving a spaceship

Hideous

 

And thank god for that!

 

I suspect that it is "yet" on the sales to the US.

 

I wouldn't get the ol' bowels in too much of an uproar. That Bugatti is a one-off and is now in the sole hands of one private customer. 99.9% of the world's population will never see it again.


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They can smell the money in the pick-up segment

 

No uproar here. Good luck to them if they can afford to do that. I'd never criticise anyone for doing something I'd do if I had the means.

 

Mercedes has terrible tailights. Always. The last good looking MBZ lamps were Sacco era.

 

2017 NSX anyone?

 

yep, you got it!

 

This is about one of Coco's lesser achievements. Somewhere I read that Bill Mitchell, VP of styling at GM in the '60s, gave help to Luigi Chinetti Jr. (of NART) in having the design done for the Cadillac Eldo rebodied in Italy by Zagato.

1970 Cadillac NART (Zagato) - Studios

but then Mitchell had to revoke his help at a certain point because of urgent GM business. So I am wondering, was there a clay done at GM first? Was this before the production Toronado style was finalized? Was Mitchell looking at Chinetti as a way to get certain cars built he couldn't get budget for? Why is this car so comparatively worthless compared to other Zagato bodied one-offs of the time? And is it really a one-off? There's pictures of it on the net in red, and tobacco brown, so was there two?

When will it be recognized at Pebble Beach or must it stay in purgatory forever?

Thanks for any recollections and opinions.

 

The car looks like a 3D tape drawing - sides are way too flat. If there was a GM clay model it likely had a lot more tumblehome.

 

I certainly was not involved with said car, but I cannot in my wildest imagination think for a second that Bill Mitchell would have allowed that thing to be modeled at GM Design with GM sculptors.
There is absolutely zero Cadillac brand character in that design.
Prove me wrong.

 

I think they would be smart to tread lightly in the US pick'em up truck market.

Honestly... Ford will clean Mercedes clock.

Fords interiors in a platinum F150 is nicer than many many Mercedes. The fit and finish and even the materials are often superior.

Also, I would imagine that Mercedes truck in its mid-size is going to cost in excess of a top end full size truck.

Those that need a truck daily won't buy a benz truck because they will get flak while on site.

Its just not worth it.