Table of contents for No. 169 in AUTO & DESIGN

The M2 segment is one that many of the big names in the European market would like to dominate. It is a segment in which a marque must express personality, but without shocking a rather conservative clientele, and this is what made the design of the new Citroën C5 so challenging. When the project for the replacement of the C5 began, Citroën’s Centre de Création, headed by Jean-Pierre Plouté since December 1999, was still in the process of being significantly restructured. The renewal of the C5 posed the marque with the typical midrange dilemma. This important segment for the European market is the subject of constant research, as the appeal of conventional saloons continues to dwindle – but this is a well known phenomenon. At the beginning of the X7…

In 1999, BMW redefined the sport utility vehicle concept with the X5, a model with much fewer “truck” traits than the bullish American SUVs and much closer to the luxury saloons with a European flair for which the Bavarian carmaker is famous throughout the world. Since then the X5 has gone on to become a huge sales success and has been joined by the smaller X3, but the crossover segment has continued to evolve, following two main directions: with crossovers being created from the fusion of increasingly dissimilar architecture types and greater product diversification into more niches. An example of this is the X6, which was previewed in practically definitive form at the last Frankfurt motor show and launched officially at Detroit. Its courageous styling, with a roofline dropping decisively…

The concept is that of a sophisticated loft. Strictly vintage on the outside, but totally remodelled on the inside, with advanced solutions adopted for the architecture, materials and space usage. But this is no building, it is a car, namely the Premium Attitude study created by Faurecia on the base of a Tatra 603 from 1972. Faurecia is one of the world’s leading names today in the production of interior modules for passenger cars, with over a century of history under its belt. The group is based in France and supplies the global auto industry with a workforce of 60,000 in 190 manufacturing plants, producing seats, dashboards, bumpers, exhaust systems, soundproofing kits and trim elements. While it is specialised in the premium segment, it has also invested considerably in supplying…

Take the workhorse vehicle by definition and apply styling concepts and levels of equipment targeted at expanding its potential user base, especially among younger buyers. This is precisely what the Indian brand Tata Motors has done in the development of its new Xenon pickup. The Xenon replaces the much more rudimentary TL model, from which it inherits its off-roader layout – ladder chassis and optional four-wheel drive with low range box – while gaining an all-new 140 bhp 2.2 litre turbodiesel. The Xenon was developed by the UK based Concept Group International design centre. This is part of a drive to make the Tata brand – which has been operating an engineering centre in Birmingham since 2005 and has recently sealed a partnership agreement with Fiat – more appealing to…

While the story of Saro Falsone and his company Vercarmodel may not be unique, it is symbolic nonetheless of an automotive world populated by the talented, courageous craftsmen typical of the coachbuilder’s art of the past. At 47 years of age, Falsone now celebrates a quarter of a century of working life, which began at the age of 15 when he first started as a bodywork painter. This was the beginning of a career that was to transform the young labourer into an entrepreneur and a skilled coachwork painter called upon to work on one-off models for clients from all over the world, and from Europe and Asia in particular. His automotive model painting company Vercarmodel is based in Orbassano near Turin. The 5000 m2 company premises house seven design…

Innovation is one of the most recurrent themes at the 78th Geneva Motor Show, once again bucking the trend of stinginess currently clouding new car débuts at other venues. Geneva confirms that it is one of the most lavish dates on the calendar when it comes to new models, not only in terms of quantity but also as regards new standard production units and research concepts. Among the leading exponents of this ‘innovative front’ we once again find the Italian bodyworks for which the Swiss show is now home turf. Pininfarina with the Sintesi, into which it has poured its research findings and whose functionality, advanced technology and formal beauty it has continued to develop; Giugiaro with the Quaranta, an extreme sports car marking four decades of Italdesign; Fioravanti with…

Yes, there were more than fifty new products on display at the 2008 North American International Auto show, but that does not mean it was a benchmark show; it was in fact perhaps the least interesting Detroit show in the last twenty years. It was operating under a “green” cloud, with even Ferrari showing up with a ridiculous set of green spark plug wires on a display engine to show that its heart is in the right place, however much CO2 its engines may spew. That you can run some ethanol in a Ferrari should not be news. Presumably that has been possible in Brazil for years. Along with pious protestations of ecological virtue, manufacturers continue to showcase cars with more than 500 horsepower. The impressive Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 claimed…

English, German, Italian, French and Chinese - the variety of languages spoken in the main operative branches of PCL Group is probably the greatest difference noticeable by clients in a spectrum of services covering the entire process of automotive design, from a clean sheet of paper to – in the near future – the development of entire vehicles. At the beginning of this year, the subsidiaries of the Group – founded in 1998 and now providing approximately 1200 jobs worldwide – embarked on a radical programme to bring together their respective activities and skill sets in the fields of style, engineering design, feasibility studying, prototyping and all the areas in between, as general manager Anton Eder explains: “In the past – actually, up until last year – PCL Group was…

Even an engine can be the subject of design. The Japanese Subaru, which was one of the first marques to believe in four wheel drive outside the confines of off-road applications, has finally ventured into the world of diesel, and has done it with style. Its oil burning powerplant, which has already seen action in the Legacy and Outback and will be introduced in the Impreza and Forester before the end of the year, is the first ever boxer diesel. The horizontally opposed four cylinder unit follows a format which for years, in petrol guise, has defined the fortunes of brands such as Porsche, the little Alfas of the past and even Subaru itself. The most significant advantages are a lower engine – meaning a lower centre of gravity for…

Car interiors constantly change, evolve and move on. For a broader view of this ongoing process of transformation, an approach is needed that also considers fields of design other than the specifically automotive. With this in mind, BMW organised “Interiors en moviment” in 2007, the second chapter in the “Iniciativa BMW per a la innovació” programme of activities inaugurated in Catalonia by the Bavarian brand in 2004 to promote innovation and creativity in a cultural context, involving design school students. “Interiors en moviment” was conducted at the European Institute of Design in Barcelona and concluded with the realisation of four 1:4 scale car interior mock-ups. The projects were developed by the final year students according to a multidisciplinary vision of interior car design, enhanced by cross-pollination with other disciplines that…

In contradiction with the very definition of the word, the concept of the niche is assuming an increasingly crucial position in the range strategies of car manufacturers, as it allows them to leave no ground uncovered in the market for their rivals to fill and also because often, the identity of a large scale carmaker is defined by smaller volume models that appeal more to the imagination. When designing a niche model, defining a strong, strategically effective message that leaves a powerful impression in the public eye is key. Speaking at Ford’s German design centre in Cologne, Stefan Lamm, chief of exterior design for Ford Europe and, specifically, for the Kuga project, put this idea more clearly into perspective. The programme for the new compact SUV, which led to the…

Once the design of the LRX – the concept car which was to debut at NAIAS 2008 just a few months later – was already defined, Gerry McGovern realised that the chrome plated blade on the air vent behind the front wheel arch was remarkably similar to a Porsche Design knife he had at home. “There was no direct inspiration, we noted the formal analogy later”, says the director of Land Rover design, citing the extensive iconographic studies conducted during the project in an interview at Gaydon, the style headquarters for the British marque. “However, it is a sign of how in tune we are with contemporary product design.” The strength of the LRX, the most interesting and aesthetically convincing prototype exhibited this year at Detroit, lies precisely in its…

Lexus’ pursuit of perfection is now also extending into a range of crossover vehicles for the near future. The face of this new range was previewed by the LF-Xh concept unveiled at the last Tokyo motor show. At its core is the use of hybrid technology, as indicated by the ‘h’ in the name. This is an additional prestige factor for the brand, as Lexus Design project general manager Hidenori Takato explains. “In our RX400h SUV, hybrid drive is very important. This concept of duality, of a fusion between two components was also what inspired us in the design of the car. It can clearly be seen in the proportions of the LF-Xh, with a very strong lower body and a slender roof. Additionally, the stance of the vehicle, with…

While the car is the most popular form of daily transport in Italy, in the rest of Europe other solutions, such as public transport, bicycles and motorcycles are much more widespread. With today’s emergency levels of road congestion, atmospheric and noise pollution, which make traffic a critical issue and an obstacle to the social and economic development of a major city, the issue of sustainable mobility is one that cannot be put off any further, and it is time that not just the public authorities, but also private enterprises and designers came up with solutions to improve the quality of urban life. The Easy-Glider X6 scooter is an innovative, environmentally friendly means of transport which may be used for sport, recreation or just to get to work, as an alternative…

‘Less is more’ seems to be today’s motto for automotive design. This can be seen in car styling, which now looks towards less complex forms, eliminating ornamentation, reducing physical size and cutting down on unnecessary trim. Similarly, engineers are also striving to reduce weight, consumption and emissions. Fiat promised to do the same at the official launch of the Bravo in early 2007: the choice of engines was to increase, but in a key of downsizing. Smaller yet more powerful engines were to come, like the new 1.4 T-Jet family (in 120 and 150 bhp guise) of petrol powerplants, which debuted last July. Now it is the turn of the diesels to shrink. The new 1.6 Multijet 16 valve unit has now been introduced on the Bravo. This latest generation…

From its design at Kia’s Frankfurt style centre (see Design story in A&D 164) to its production at the Slovakian Zilina plant, the Cee’d family of C segment models introduced progressively into the Old Continent over a twelve month period is entirely a product of Europe. After the five door hatchback introduced early last year, the Sporty Wagon estate reached Italy in September. The estate is 23.5 cm longer than the hatch (4.47 metres in total) and offers generous load capacity for the category, with 534 litres, increasable to 1664 litres by folding the rear seats. It is now the turn of the sportiest member of the family, the sleek and compact three-door pro_Cee’d. Only part of the bodywork has been carried over from its bigger fivedoor sibling – the…

For quite some time now, the environmental situation facing much of Europe has prompted public authorities to seek new solutions for the problem of urban and commuter mobility. While many projects to promote alternative, responsible transport among the citizenry have been deployed over the past few years, they have not always yielded the results hoped for. The population, whether environmentally aware or not, still tends to put its own convenience and wellbeing first, and the alternatives proposed to date have not succeeded in engendering much enthusiasm. So why not create a rail based transport system that not only satisfies commuters with the punctuality and efficiency of the service, but also treats them with comfort, a sophisticated, functional ambience and small details that pamper them during their daily stint on board?…

A showcase is needed to introduce the general public, which is often unaware of what goes on behind the scenes in automotive design, to the original forms created by the talented minds of young students, the new concepts proposed by professionals and the innovations conceived by engineers. This is the reason why, for the past seven years, Michelin North America Inc. has brought the Michelin Challenge Design to the Detroit international motor show. The Challenge is an event-exposition that offers a number of designers, selected by the panel, an exhibition space within the Bibendum brand’s stand. The topic of the most recent edition of the challenge was “Smaller. Safer. Better.” – in other words, compact urban cars with attributes to increase their safety – explored, as usual, in three different…