Table of contents for No. 185 in AUTO & DESIGN

It really shouldn’t be surprising to anyone that most of the innovation in cars these days involves electronics. Not just electric motors to drive the wheels, but also elaborate logical structures that rely on the computational speed of dozens of discrete or integrated devices that perform manifold actions to make driving safer, cleaner and more comfortable than it has ever been. So it seemed natural that the flow of electrons was the central theme of the Mondiale in Paris this year. It appeared that every manufacturer had a pure electric model, either as a concept or — in a few cases — something that could be bought, registered and used for personal transportation. And of course hybrids were big news, although some companies abused the term. Peugeot had what is…

“Industrious Design”, in other words, design that is “industrious” after years of hybrids and a thousand possible designs, which puts the accent back on the industrial approach to designing: to redefine the boundaries of the profession, rethink the dialogue with business, and reflect on the entire system that involves the draughtsman increasingly throughout the development stage, playing multiple roles. This is the message of the exhibition that focused on the designer Odoardo Fioravanti, hosted in the CreativeSet of MINI & Triennale at the Triennale Design Museum until the end of October. Devised as a dual event, the exhibition presented a number of projects by the designer – a body of works that extended from the re-design of a telescope to furnishings – while it also put the designer himself “on…

The second generation BMW 6 Series was designed by Adrian van Hooydonk in 2002. Now that Van Hooydonk is chief of design for the Bavarian brand, you can imagine the pressure felt by exterior designer Nader Faghihzadeh and his team when they were tasked with creating a new look for the third generation BMW sports coupé. This – as Van Hooydonk himself acknowledges – was a key influence in every step in the development of the car, which was presented as a concept at Paris and is destined to debut as a production model in 2011, ahead of the Geneva motor show. The results of this pressure can plainly be seen: traditional BMW values have been fused with a futuristic formal language to give life to a striking sports car. According…

A cheetah in full flight pouncing on its prey. The stabbing movement in the Japanese martial art of Kendo. A car gliding sinuously along the road. A soul in motion, expressed through speed, tension and allure. All of these images are embodied in Mazda’s new “Kodo – Soul of Motion” formal language, which will form the basis of the design of the carmaker’s forthcoming production models. And the manifesto of this new styling direction is the Shinari, a prototype for a four door coupé fusing GT and sports saloon cues. Rather than wait for the Mondial at Paris to officially present its new creation to the motoring press, Mazda chose Milan, where the brand has been running a workshop since the beginning of September to clinic the design of the…

A return to its roots. This year, after several editions held at the Palazzo Tè in Mantova, Autostyle 2010 was held in San Benedetto Po, a choice that brought the event back to the town that is the home of the Berman company of Romano Artioli, the creator of Autostyle. Auto & Design recognised the great importance of this event, and immediately guaranteed its support as a sponsor. It was an opportunity for all the participants to discover or renew their admiration for the town’s surprising architectural and cultural heritage. “This is the most important ancient monastery in northern Italy,” pointed out the mayor of San Benedetto Po, Marco Giavazzi, on October 14, when he inaugurated the 2-day show dedicated to European automotive design. It was held in the recently…

Eco-cars linked to ecological urban structures that power each other reciprocally and store solar energy in usable quantities, microcars embodying a traditional Scandinavian respect for the environment, and a new generation of interactive vehicles that communicate by using light and their own external surfaces. This is the vision of the near urban future emerging from the end of course theses of the students of the Vehicle Design faculty of the Royal College of Art. That the era of the electric car is just around the corner is now a widely accepted belief, and more and more companies now think that it is worth investing money and human resources in this field. However, this raises increasingly more difficult questions concerning costs, charging methods, range and the ability of current energy providers…

UP Design – named after the initials of its founder Umberto Palermo – is a new design concern operating in Turin from December 1. After leaving IDEA Institute, where he was design director, Palermo will soon have a fully operational team of fifteen or so professionals working on both automotive projects (UP Design’s portfolio already includes clients from Beijing and Shanghai), and product design – and domestic appliances and interior architecture in particular. “We aim to be a multifaceted, multidisciplinary business to achieve maximum market penetration, but we will always be industry-oriented”, explains Palermo. UP Design will offer services covering everything from the definition of style from scratch to start of production and the fabrication of class A prototypes. Modelling and prototyping activities will be sourced from external suppliers, which…

It was proclaimed at the beginning of the year by the SR1 concept and reiterated by the 5by Peugeot at Geneva: a new design era for the Lion brand has begun. And the first ramifications of this new direction in the brand’s production range can be seen in the 508 unveiled at Paris. It takes the place of the 407 in the the range, but is also intended to appeal to potential clients of the larger 607, as it has grown in both size and status compared with the model it replaces. With smoothly sculpted forms and a dynamic, elegant treatment for the front and the surfacing in general, the 508 captured the attention of the crowds at the Mondial in both saloon and station wagon guise, which were presented simultaneously.…

With the SA Aperta (with S and A standing for Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina), the house of the Prancing Horse celebrates 80 years of the celebrated Turin coachbuilder – which also explains why only 80 examples (all of which already sold) of the car will be made. It may seem paradoxical that to go it alone without the formal involvement of Pininfarina. In reality, however, the SA Aperta is merely a variant of the existing 599, which was unquestionably designed by Pininfarina. And the handiwork of Pininfarina’s designers can still clearly be seen in the interior. “This was just a small job”, explains a modest Flavio Manzoni, who was appointed head of the new Ferrari Centro Stile in January. “But it was a fascinating subject, because this configuration had never been…

Land Rover, which, alongside Jaguar, now belongs to the Indian magnate Ratan Tata’s empire, says that the new Range Rover Evoque defines a new segment of sportier, more elegant compact SUVs. “This is a clear indicator of the direction taken by the Range Rover brand”, says Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Ralph Speth, “and it will have a considerable emotive appeal for a broad target of luxury vehicle buyers.” According to Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern, who is visibly proud of the attention that the car has been attracting since its presentation in the shape of the LRX concept in 2008, the Evoque “marks a bold evolutionary step in Range Rover design, which offers new interpretations of its classic lines while remaining faithful to its values”. McGovern even goes so…

This 19 October, the Institute of Applied Art and Design in Turin inaugurated the first Italian 1st level Academic Diploma course in “Sustainable mobility and transport vehicle design”. The course was developed together with ISIA in Florence to create professionals trained to deal with the changing scenario and propose innovative solutions that consider the social, cultural and economic realities of the market. Il 19 ottobre scorso l’Istituto d’Arte Applicata e Design di Torino ha dato il via al primo corso italiano di Diploma Accademico di 1° livello in “Design della mobilità sostenibile e dei mezzi di trasporto”. Si tratta di un percorso sviluppato insieme all’Isia di Firenze per formare professionisti preparati ad affrontare i cambiamenti e a proporre soluzioni innovative che tengano conto del panorama socio-culturale ed economico del mercato…

While apparently very different, there is in fact a common thread linking the 508 and HR1 concept, which were unveiled together at the Peugeot stand at Paris: the stylistic common denominator represented by the SR1 showcar/design manifesto. presented at the beginning of the year. “We capitalised on the style of the SR1, reinterpreting it in this case in a chic, dynamic urban car, expressed in an original formula”, explains range coordinator Alexandre Malval, who headed the project for the HR1. “As our design director Gilles Vidal says, we do not want to invent something completely new every single time, and we want to nurture defined styling cues.” The connection with the SR1 is evident in the now famous grille (see the design story for the 508 in this issue) and in…

Not all cars begin with a brief given to the designers. “It was Walter who came up with the idea for the A7. There was a gap in the range between the A6 and A8 that needed to be filled, and he said: let’s make a no-compromise car, a proper GT” recalls Audi brand design chief Stefan Sielaff. “So we made a model at our Ingolstadt style centre and presented it to Dr. Winterkorn. He really liked it and, even though it wasn’t in the product strategy, he gave us the goahead to continue the project. But obviously, it helps a lot if the president likes your model!” The Walter he refers to is, of course, Walter de’ Silva, the design chief for the Volkswagen group and Martin Winterkorn’s right hand…

Spontaneous, self-confident and sophisticated – Citroën scatters adjectives liberally to describe its latest creation. Says Thierry Metroz – chief of design for the French marque – it is also an expression of audacity, creativity and optimism. One thing is for sure, the Lacoste show car presented at Paris is conceptually a completely new car, although in certain aspects – such as the total lack of a roof and its minimalist, fresh youthfulness – it could be seen as the spiritual successor to the beach buggies of the 1970s“It is the product”; explains Metroz, “of a study lasting a couple of years. Do you remember the Cactus – which was simple, spartan, light and essential? That was an exercise in taking things away instead of adding them – which is what most…