Can we talk about grilles for a moment? Dec 1 Written By Patrick le Quément Having previously reflected on logos, Patrick le Quément now turns his attention towards another crucial fragment of ‘brand DNA’. Party’s over (photo © Shutterstock) When one turns towards the evolution of automobile design and particularly of the interaction between logos and the design of front ends, the question inevitably arises as to whether logos will continue to exponentially increase in size with the rise of the electric vehicles. This entails a secondary question on the subject of front end grilles. For as always, it is important to look at any phenomena by stepping sideways from the hassle of instantaneous news, and take a look back at history: What has happened between the launch of the revolutionary trout-shaped front end of the 1955 Citroën DS 19 and the 2020 generation of piranha’s jaws fitted to the latest regal Autobahn cruisers? Similarly, it’s interesting to note the evolution of front end grilles, as exemplified by the remarkable NSU Ro80, launched in 1967. This car featured a radiator grille accompanying the shape and blending in with the overall design. Today, we are witnessing that almost all recently launched upper segment vehicles display gargantuan grilles and precious little else in terms of a design theme. I can’t help but make the analogy with the nuclear arms race - only this time with weapons based upon the various brands’ egos, materialised by their extroverted expression of front end grilles. For, you see, cars are looking more and more alike. Not in that grandfatherly ‘they don’t make ‘em like that anymore’ sense, but on on the basis that packaging and proportions indeed are more uniform than they have ever been. What with the dominance of the SUV silhouette and the fact that all cars have increased so much in size, they are now all bunched up in a cul de sac. (photo © Daimler AG) Physical realities have caught up with every automotive designer/planer/strategist, as cars just cannot go beyond a certain width and a certain length. This results in the Spielraum being limited to superficial expressions… which is where our gargantuan grilles come into play. Observing recent vehicle launches, one cannot help but think that frustrated designers feel obliged to outdo one another by exaggerating the size and decorative tinsel of the gaping holes that have become their preferred expressive zone. Of course, we are in a period where product planners, as well as designers are keeping score on what the competition is up to in order to retaliate. That you can gather by the martial language and the overuse of terms like ‘aggressive styling’ being used, giving a new, lethal meaning to all those new cars featuring grossly snarling expressions. Yes, the automobile industry is at war - let’s hope that customers will not be caught in the crossfire… So what does the optimist in me say about this rather gloomy portrayal of an out-of-control nuke that has already left its launching pad? The answer lies in the shifting of a paradigm we are beginning to witness through the massive arrival of Battery Electric Vehicles. Of course, some brands will probably continue as if nothing has happened. But others, those not fatalistically glued to tradition and the safety of their glorious past, may finally realise that the times have definitely changed and that logos are more than likely going to take a central role in the frontend identity of future EVs. There is a parallel that can be drawn between the early days of the automobile and the crossroads modern automobile designers face today. Earlier cars looked like horse-drawn carriages that had forgotten to ask the horse to join them. Today’s horse-less carriages are those preposterous-looking vehicles with their gigantic, useless fake air intakes. They certainly are not the design direction to be pursued in the future. If some EVs are still sporting old world fake radiator grilles, they will very quickly find themselves to be classified as reactionary. For the future belongs to those prepared to look at the EV with fresh eyes. Those daring not to impose yesterday’s solution to tomorrow’s challenges. What we need are the fundamental innovators willing to push through open-minded approaches. I would therefore like to remind every creative and instinctive designer out there that today’s challenges lie in your hands. I believe the time has come for you to rewrite the definition of what is ‘good design’. I wish I could join you.
It'd be interested to see your best 12 lists. The difficult part for you, I assume, will be deciding on who was really good but didn't quite make the cut for your top 12. All the best, Andrew.
I would be very difficult for me to try and separate '10 best' from '10 favorites' as objectively they would be different lists in many ways
Don't shoot me- I'm only the messenger. Image Unavailable, Please Login Just noted that there is a new comedy debuting on NBC tonight at 8pm eastern time about the automobile industry set in Detroit. The plot involves introduction of the Ponderosa, an autonomous self driving car and the management decisions. Here is a trailer:
New Chrysler 'Airflow' My, how the world has changed. https://moparinsiders.com/chrysler-will-go-all-electric-by-2028-airflow-concept-shows-us-the-brands-direction/?fbclid=IwAR3wNjwl3oijXlc9IiZBffMDGh0NxuYue-BKhifZghceEXBgrTf-fGKZoHk Image Unavailable, Please Login
And the Chinese won't be left out. The Jetour X Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
And yes, Sony wants in as well. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sony Vision S 02
Image Unavailable, Please Login Chevy just introduced their new electric pickup Image Unavailable, Please Login
Apple + Ferrari?! https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/05/apple-car-design-could-come-from-ferrari/?fbclid=IwAR1k_js0PpI1HVY-OPU9faLxuNOYJyzDnDhv5kLhL7xwWGI1A2BoUuPuMMA The first look at how Apple could stylistically design its long-rumored car could come from Ferrari, thanks to a recent partnership between former Apple designers and the Italian sports car maker. Image Unavailable, Please Login Apple Car concept render by Vanarama Late last year, Ferrari and its parent company Exor announced a multi-year creative partnership with LoveFrom, the design firm co-founded by Apple's former design chief Jony Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson. The collaboration "will bring together Ferrari's legendary performance and excellence with LoveFrom's unrivalled experience and creativity that has defined extraordinary world changing products," Ferrari said in a press release announcing the partnership. In June 2019, Apple announced that Ive would be departing the company to form LoveFrom. At the time, Apple said that it would remain one of Ive's primary clients, but it's unclear which Apple products he has helped to design since then. Apple did confirm that Ive was involved in the design of the colorful 24-inch iMac released in April, but Apple did not confirm if any of that work occurred after Ive left the company. Ive reportedly recruited at least four of his former Apple colleagues to join LoveFrom. Other companies, such as Airbnb, Emerson Collective, and Moncler, have also announced partnerships with the design firm. Image Unavailable, Please Login Ive and Newson were pivotal to many of Apple's iconic, minimalist industrial product designs, and there are questions around how the company will now approach its autonomous electric vehicle in light of these well-established principles. Speculation around what Apple's car will look like is rife, with British vehicle leasing company Vanarama rendering what the first Apple Car could look like, taking inspiration from iPhones, MacBooks, and other Apple products, and combining them with real Apple patents. Image Unavailable, Please Login While it is possible that LoveFrom's Ferrari designs will be guided by different attitudes to those at Apple, Ive and Newson have a clear minimalist style that extends to their projects with other brands, as illustrated by the pair's work on a Leica camera. Apple is said to be aiming to launch its self-driving car in approximately three years, with the vehicle debuting around 2025. Whether Apple will be able to hit that goal depends on whether it can develop a full self-driving system. For more information, check out our dedicated Apple Car roundup.
It's a nice-looking small SUV. Only thing that stands out to me as really lamentable is the enormous tablet stuck to the middle of the dashboard. Really, can't we do any better than tablet afterthoughts? All the best, Andrew.
For this venture, skilled Italian car designers utilized the awesome processing power of the Apple IIE personal computer to create the render. Thanks to their brilliant know-how, it looks like it was designed for a 1990s Need For Speed title, rather than in the 1980s. When questioned by surprise in the parking lot, one of the designers answered: "Of course, in Italy, less is more. We reflect that in this car with Apple." He then flicked our reporter's grubby hands off his suit jacket, smoothed down the fabric, cast us an annoyed look, and performed a burnout when leaving the carpark in his 812 Superfast. All the best, Andrew.
I wish people wouldn't follow Tesla. They've delivered the first truly viable premium electric car, but their design aesthetics aren't great. Tesla's exteriors are ok, but their interior designs are outright awful. All the best, Andrew.
I agree. When my son bought their Tesla, I asked him where the rest of the interior was. Somehow, he didn't appreciate his dad's humor.
And just like that, the world discovered where the Tesla Cyber Truck got it’s influence from. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
