Sommaire pour No. 166 de AUTO & DESIGN

At first sight, the XF is a Jaguar unlike any other, which abandons certain styling cues such as the heart-shaped grille, which the S-Type – destined to be replaced by the new car presented at Frankfurt – had nostalgically inherited from the legendary Mark 2. Yet Ian Callum, chief of design for the cat brand, claims that “our design philosophy isn’t rebuilt every five years, and is based on that of Sir William Lyons, so there’s no need to re-invent it”. All that is needed, he says, is to “find the values that make a Jaguar a Jaguar”. While the XF is a new concept from the ground up, it has not forsaken a number of classic styling cues, first among them the grille, which, while not that of the…

Sixty years of Ferrari, perhaps the most prestigious of all Italian automotive marques, also means six decades of the world’s greatest style – Italian style, in which history and evolution come together. The prancing horse has almost always gone hand in hand with Pininfarina in a practically exclusive partnership beginning in 1952, which has lasted through the tenure of each successive managerial generation, from Battista “Pinin” Farina and Sergio Pininfarina to Andrea Pininfarina. Under the creative influence of its successive stylists, Franco Martinengo, Leonardo Fioravanti and Lorenzo Ramaciotti, however, many of the greatest names in Italian style – Touring, Vignale, Stabilimenti Farina, Bertone, Ghia, Zagato, Scaglietti, Allemano, Boano and Ellena – have clad the sports chassis from Maranello, especially during the early years, and every single one of these has…

Samsung recently presented a new series of telephone, music and audiovisual products. These include the mobile phone designed by Jasper Morrison, whose recent creations mark a return to simple, functional and ‘almost anonymous’ design. The result is the E590, a completely black, two sided phone: on one side is an LCD display and keypad, on the other a digital camera, which even comes with a ‘bean bag’ rubber stand serving as a small tripod for improved versatility and stability when taking pictures. Another interesting product introduces wireless connectivity to the MP3 player, replacing the jack and cable with a Bluetooth headset which not only allows the user to listen to music but also to answer incoming calls to their mobile phone. These solutions afford more freedom of movement in everyday…

“We are the brand of exclusive elegance and we have found ourselves the ideal partner, a label that has contributed to making the name of Italian industrial design known all over the world.” Olivier François, C.E.O. of Lancia Automobiles, sums up the formula that has inspired the Ypsilon Sport MomoDesign, the top version of the successful compact. A model that targets the glamour-seeking young and promises exciting performance. Attitude in spades guaranteed by the 1.3 Multijet 16V (105 bhp at 4000 rpm, torque of 200 Nm at 1750 rpm, 177 km/h top speed and acceleration from 0 to 100 in 10.5 seconds) turbodiesel engine. “It is the most powerful compact in its category”, says François, “but still boasts low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, 4.7 litres per 100 km in…

“The letter ‘I’ has been chosen as it stands for inspiration, intelligence, integrity and innovation.” This explanation sums up the essence of the i30, Hyundai’s new C-segment front-wheel drive model developed entirely in Europe. Measuring 4.2 metres in length – with a generous wheelbase of 2.6 metres – 1.77 metres in width and 1.48 metres tall, the car is built on a new platform, also used by Kia for their new C-segment, the cee’d. Hyundai and Kia are both parts of the same group, which is currently the sixth largest in the world and is aiming to further improve on this position by 2010. The exterior style of the i30 expresses dynamism. The interior is spacious and modern, but without exaggeration, featuring form-hugging seats, a dash with a high-tech centre…

Father and son, working as a team, representing the past, present and future with the same passion for sports cars and the same design philosophy – a philosophy that goes beyond design and the unmistakably emotive signature ‘coda tronca’ Kamm tail. This, in a nutshell, sums up the Turin based company Spadaconcept established in 2006 by Paolo Spada to bring together, in a single unit, his own creative expressiveness, the invaluable talents of his father Ercole, the futuristic vision of the young designer Wojtek Sokolowski and the experience of Domiziano Boschi in corporate management. The first creation to be produced by the new company, which looks forward to the future while cherishing the heritage of the past, is a project for a sports car by the name of ‘Codatronca’. “Towards…

“This car is the product of 70 years of history – 20 for the Topolino and another 50 for the 500”, says director of Fiat advanced design Roberto Giolito of the new car, highlighting how history, along with modern technology and design, is one of its key elements. The ‘New 500’ which debuted in Turin on July 4 1957 was – like the 500 Topolino of 1937 – designed by Dante Giacosa and was genuinely revolutionary in its day. The car bridged the gap between scooters – affordable for many but offering no comforts at all – and the 600, which was still too expensive for the majority of Italians. With its rear engine, light weight and compact dimensions – at less than three and a half metres in length…

When the decision was made to develop the Trepiùno concept into a production model, Fiat’s designers realised just how crucial the development of the interior was to be, as the exterior had already been largely defined. The cabin of the tiny show car presented at Geneva had more of an air of a futuristic study than of anything related to the immediate present. The touch sensitive membrane controls, the monolithic floating dash and the slender seats made with furniture manufacturing techniques were hardly realistic propositions for a production car. The basis for the interior, and all the correlated restrictions were, however, very clear for director of Fiat advanced design Roberto Giolito and his team, which were tasked with creating a specific cabin around Panda mechanicals. As a result, the definition…

A car symbolising progressive, considered evolution. The Peugeot 308 officially debuting at the 2007 edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show – the French marque’s new C segment – perfectly embodies a process of gradual transition lasting five years, which culminated in early July this year. The year was 2002 and Robert Peugeot, faced with the knowledge that Gerard Welter, the mainstay of Peugeot design for over forty years, was to leave his directorship within a few years, opted for a soft changeover. In other terms, not a sudden replacement, supplanting Welter from one day to the next with a successor sourced externally or from within Peugeot ranks, but a gradual handover, to make full use of his experience and to pass on as much of his wisdom as possible to…

When planning to present a new car in China and, specifically, in the nation’s creative hub Shanghai, aspects of the local culture must also be taken into account in the project in order to appeal to this multifaceted and increasingly complex market. The Cross Coupé concept presented by Audi at the recent motor show hosted in the Asian metropolis gives an interesting insight into the state of automotive design today, which calls for products capable of appealing everywhere yet also conveying the traditions of their respective brand and country of origin, while perhaps even hinting at traits typical of the nation in which they are marketed. On top of this is the ever present demand to cross multiple segments and offer cars that are many things rolled into one. As…

While little known outside specialist circles, nautical design is very interesting from many different standpoints. These include aspects such as technology and research, into not just materials and production processes but also into new design and execution methods, enabling increasing precision in the production of craft and equipment. Another interesting aspect is the similarity between domestic interior design and the design of space-conscious nautical interiors – or the large open spaces of luxury mega-yachts – that embody solutions for comfortable living within the confines of what is essentially a nomadic means of transport. Working on such a complex object demands a tightly knit team, and numerous figures with different roles and different skills must come together - often from far flung corners of the world – in a project for…

Designed and patented by the Dyson research and development centre after three years of experimentation, the new DC15 ‘The Ball’ vacuum cleaner introduces a major innovation, replacing the conventional wheels with a large sphere, making the unit easier to steer around obstacles. In addition to making the vacuum cleaner easier to use, as a simple twist of the wrist suffices to change direction instead of having to push and pull it around – as with conventional machines – the sphere also houses the motor, lowering the centre of gravity and improving manoeuvrability. The telescopic handle and flat brush means that the most out of the way corners are easy to clean, while improved Dyson Root12 Cyclone technology removes even the finest particles from the air without clogging the filter, maintaining…

The Land Rover brand which, for almost sixty years, has stood for off-roading and the country lifestyle, making cars that have become legends for their versatility and ability to tackle all kinds of terrain, has recently decided to express its values in a series of products unrelated to the automotive world. The spirit of adventure at the core of the brand has come together with the creativity of Italian designer Alberto Del Biondi to create a new line of accessories – shoes in particular, but also bags and suitcases – presented this June in Florence at the Pitti Immagine Uomo men’s fashion show. The first collection introduces three new lines of shoe, distinguished by colours, materials and design inspired by the sportiness and technology typical of Land Rover cars. These…

For Volvo, building estates is something of a vocation. Pioneers of this type of vehicle, Volvo’s first estate model goes back to 1944 and the company has always been a leader in the segment. The new V70 and V50 fl aim to hammer home this leadership. Compared to the previous model, the V70 retains the same chassis architecture, but the bodywork presents substantial external and internal design changes. The vehicle is 4 cm wider, a plus point for interior comfort, while externally, as there is no change in ground clearance, it takes on a decidedly aggressive, compact appearance. The front presents new light clusters and a new radiator which flows elegantly into the long new grille with the large air intake, and the bonnet moulding is much more pronounced. The…

2007 for the European Institute of Design in Turin was entirely dedicated to the issue of ecology. The institute’s exploration of the theme began with the creation of the BeON full scale model presented in March at Geneva and concluded in July with the unveiling of 1:4 scale models proposing possible evolutions of the Toyota Prius for the near future. Throughout this academic year, the institute encouraged its students to focus greater attention on the environmental impact of vehicles, focusing heavily on the theme of eco-compatible drive systems. The 26 students of the third year of the course in Transportation Design drew inspiration from the philosophy championed by the Japanese brand Toyota, which has long been committed to the research and development of hybrid vehicles. Under the guidance of course…

“The original 500 was really very small inside, and looking at it today, you wonder just how four people could fit inside”, guips Harald Wester, chief technical officer of Fiat Group Automobiles. The new 500, on the other hand, had to offer as roomy an interior as possible, unimaginable levels of content and trim quality compared with its predecessor and the state of the art in safety features, while remaining faithful to the aesthetic image. “The biggest challenge with Project 312”, explains Wester, “was resolving three major packaging issues in a style that was already defined, specifically a short front overhang, a pyramidal body shape and a rounded rear, like the old 500, which had deliberately been designed with limited rear space so as not to encroach on the 600’s…

Mazda speaks in no uncertain terms about its latest addition, the Mazda2, calling it “the first car of a new generation” with a distinct mission, to boot – to “integrate the design” of its future products. This is, then, the head of a new family, even if its sub-compact B segment dimensions certainly do not make it a flagship, and something more substantial – the Mazda6 – is expected to debut at Frankfurt. Yet even for an unstoppable hive of creative activity such as Mazda – one of the most prolific in today’s international design scenario, as proven by the three Nagare, Ryuga and Hakaze concepts presented in recent months – the Mazda2 is a true pioneer. The genes of the Mazda2 are in fact derived from another highly acclaimed…

At Geneva it attracted attention for its styling, proportions and elegance and now, after a run out on the road, we can confirm that the Maserati GranTurismo lives up to its name. Designed by Pininfarina (see Design story in A&D n° 163), this comfortable, high performing car presents outstanding dynamic qualities and the 405 bhp output of its V8 4 engine combined with Zf automatic transmission offers true entertainment in sport mode thanks to ultra-fast gear changes. Built on the M139 platform, the same the Quattroporte is based on (albeit with a wheelbase that is 125 mm shorter and a rear overhang that is 66 mm shorter, for a total length of 4881 mm), it hangs on to these impressive dimensions without jeopardising manoeuvrability, as we found on the twists…

Mazda’s chief designer, Iwao Koizumi, has now presented the marque’s new CX-7 crossover to Europe, a car which has already been on sale in North America and Japan since last year. “In the development of the car”, he said, “we associated the typical SUV characteristics of strength, practicality and agility with certain traits specific to sports cars. We imagined the final result as an urban hawk soaring among the skyscrapers in New York.” At 4.68 metres long and 1.87 metres wide, the CX-7 has an imposing road presence. While the front conveys the strength of an SUV, the windscreen – raked at 66° - and the tapered tail, with dual tailpipes, shout high performance. The most notable features in the spacious cabin are the original instruments, the design of the…

The successor to the A2 – Audi’s baby – needed to fill a gap in the marque’s revised range has yet to take shape, so why not ask a group of promising design students to come up with a few creative ideas? Fresh ideas, which fit seamlessly into the four-ringed brand’s new styling philosophy, a philosophy that has now been further defined with the recent launch of the new A5. These were the precepts for the MAX4 project, which started last October, continuing the collaboration – now in its third year – masterminded by Walter de’ Silva between the Audi Group and the Milan Design Polytechnic (SPD), directed by Antonello Fusetti. The brief given to the students of the Master’s course in Transportation Design imposed a number of conditions and…

Sometimes a design comes along that is so exciting and packed with creative innovation that a single article is not enough to describe its inception. This is the case with the new Fiat 500, to which we have dedicated this special supplement, to better illustrate the main stages in the development of a car which – a rare feat in today’s world – has not only rekindled enthusiasm (which never really died away, if truth be told) for an Italian automotive icon, but also ignites new passion, especially among younger generations. Our account of the new car begins with an analysis of the company’s cultural roots in the design of compact, intelligent cars and, in particular, with the story of Dante Giacosa, creator of the Topolino and the 1957 version…

After the successful reception of the Trepiùno, Fiat decided to put the little car into production, and the resulting project 312 got underway in 2005. The exterior design was already practically defined in terms of both formal treatment and basic concepts, which Giolito sums up in three core elements: “First and foremost ‘style’, meaning working well and creating a car that appeals”, explains the designer, “then ‘easy’, not just because it’s practical, but because you feel like you’re wearing the car - every element is intuitive. Then there is the customisable aspect – which I like to describe with the term ‘ad hoc’: you can order your own car exactly as you want it straight from the production line, and not just personalise it with aftersales add-ons.” The car had…

Personalisation is a word that has almost lost its meaning through overuse to describe services claimed to render a product perfectly tailored to its user but, in the majority of cases, predetermined independently of what the end customer actually wants. Fiat’s designers, on the other hand, took a completely different, customer-focused approach when defining the colour and trim and aftersales accessories and configurations for the new 500. Their work began with the identification of the four main themes used to define the standard versions of the car, namely Pop, Lounge, Sport and Naked (the latter being a basic variant intended for emerging markets and not sold in Italy). This led to an open ended study into the design of the trim and accessories, followed by an analysis of their functional…