AUTO & DESIGN の No. 208 の目次

From a blank sheet of paper to production certainty in less than a year, the Alfieri – named in homage to one of Maserati’s two founding brothers – was created in an unprecedentedly short space of time. The manifesto of the new face of Maserati, the car is the next step in the evolution of the DNA at the heart of the iconic Trident marque. After its clamorous reception at the Geneva Motor Show, where it met with universal acclaim, the production car will probably reach showrooms before the end of 2016. “We wanted to mark the brand’s centennial with a concept with powerful visual impact – explains Fiat Chrysler Global Design director Lorenzo Ramaciotti – and we initially considered ideas for futuristic, pure dream cars. But Marchionne asked us…

«Prima di estendere i suoi interessi alle vetture stradali, la Maserati ha costruito per molti anni auto da corsa, vetture la cui bellezza deriva da aspetti funzionali come l’aerodinamica, più che dalle intenzioni dello stilista». Lorenzo Ramaciotti, capo di Fiat Chrysler Global Design, è un grande appassionato delle vetture del Tridente, oltre che profondo conoscitore della sua storia centenaria. Una storia nel segno del continuo cambiamento, con passaggi di proprietà, rischi di tracollo finanziario e successive rinascite, sino alla stabilità odierna in seno a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. «Questo spirito di cambiamento continuo si ritrova anche nella storia dello stile delle Maserati stradali», prosegue Ramaciotti. «Anziché restare fedele a un designer per consolidare una visione unitaria della forma, e quindi dell’immagine delle sue vetture, la Maserati ha utilizzato tutti gli stilisti italiani…

More than eight years have gone by since Roberto Piatti left Stile Bertone, of which he was General Manager, to set up Torino Design. As he recalls: “It was my opinion that the world of car styling and engineering consultancy services was on the move and new responses were needed to be more competitive. I could never however have imagined such a sudden evolution in the Turin supply system”. So in this profoundly changed context, Torino Design today boasts a stable structure with the same shareholders (90% Roberto Piatti and 10% Giuliano Biasio, head of design) and the same skilled staff whose competence has been rounded out over the years by new arrivals. Growing sales (about 5.5 million euros in 2013), no debt, a customer base that includes more than…

Earmarked to embody global brand strategy, the Jeep Renegade, in the intentions of Auburn Hills’ designers, combines a historic styling heritage with a completely new design, conceived to attract the young customer. Designed in America and produced at Melfi in Italy, it is the most complete expression yet of the union of Fiat and Chrysler. But above all it represents the American manufacturer’s entry into the growing segment of small Suvs. “With a determined look, sturdy shape and aggressive proportions,“ Mark Allen explains, “the new Renegade is an authentic Jeep and has been developed to guarantee benchmark off-road capability for its category and to represent American design and ingenuity, suitable as it also is for use in town”. Allen is head of Jeep design. Speaking of dimensions he recalled that…

«La maggior parte delle case automobilistiche sono prigioniere dello styling, con quantità di soluzioni cosmetiche e bizzarri temi scultorei», osserva Olivier Boulay: «Noi abbiamo, se non altro, il merito di avere trovato un eccellente equilibrio fra design, cioè concetto ed engineering, e styling: la nostra auto offre presenza, qualità, solidità, sicurezza ed eleganza. Il frontale rivela addirittura un’immagine amichevole, ben distante dall’aggressività di molte auto d’oggi». Ma la Denza, di cui Boulay è il padre, è una vettura particolare: nata in Cina dalla joint-venture fra la tedesca Daimler e la cinese BYD grande produttrice di batterie, è la prima auto elettrica di nuova concezione e design originale prodotta in grandi numeri. Quello delle vetture elettriche è un importante mercato, in costante crescita, per via degli sgravi fiscali ma soprattutto per…

Versatility and productivity matched with style, comfort and quality fit and finish. This is the new Iveco Daily, the third generation of a vehicle born in 1978 and radically revised in 1999, which – with over 2.6 million units sold to date in 110 countries worldwide – also adds a distinctly global vocation to the mix. This is why it is available in over eight thousand possible variants (including off-road versions), created with different combinations of the body styles, wheelbases, engines, mechanicals and load capacities offered. “Its development”, explains Marco Armigliato, Chief Designer Fiat Professional & Industrial Vehicles, “began with a preliminary stage to visualise the results achievable by changing more or less elements of the bodyshell. And 80% of the bodyshell is now entirely new, carrying over only a…

How do you pack the sports, luxury and elegance of the Porsche brand into a city car just four metres long? Organised into teams of three or four, the 14 students of the fourth edition of the Milan Polytechnic Master’s Course in Transportation and Automotive Design turned their creative talents to tackling the challenge posed by the brief chosen for the second year in the five year partnership between the faculty and the Volkswagen Group, which called for an electric car for transporting passengers and goods (or, rather, luggage) for premium users in Milan as the city hosts the Expo. This hands-on experience with the Porsche brand and its hallmark styling cues was an exciting adventure for the students, and Porsche Advanced Design director Mitja Borkert’s periodic assessments of the…

Daniel Simon, something of a habitué of the fantasy world after designing vehicles for Hollywood films like Tron: Legacy and Oblivion, had already enchanted his fans with “Cosmic Motors”, a book that brings together a series of fantasy vehicles circulating in the centre of the Galaxion Galaxy. Now the author aims to dazzle them even more by projecting them directly into a future, parallel world of car racing. Browsing through the pages of this book you can only be amazed by racing cars of a not too distant future scrupulously analysed by racing driver Vic Cooper as he jumps from past to future to compete in the most famous races between 1916 and 2615. Drawings, photos, stories and characters are purely fictitious and we can guarantee that the idea is…

Russia continues to be a key market for international manufacturers. So although the winds of war have occupied the headlines more than new cars, at the end of August the Moscow show still hosted some noteworthy novelties, including a number out of Russia itself, from Lada to name just one. The most important autumn Show, however, is the Paris Mondial for which the list of debuts gets longer by the day. Here we publish just a few, but launches cover the whole spectrum of vehicle types and see the involvement of all the makers. Starting with the host country with the much awaited new Renault Espace and new concepts from PSA. There is a long list of Suvs, from the compact Fiat 500X to the new Suzuki Vitara and Kia…

Meno di un anno per passare dal foglio bianco alla certezza della produzione: uno sprint da record per la Alfieri, il cui nome omaggia uno dei fratelli fondatori. E’ il manifesto della nuova Maserati, un concentrato di evoluzione del Dna che ha scandito la leggenda del Tridente. Ammiratissima al Salone di Ginevra, debutterà su strada probabilmente già entro il 2016. Promossa a furor di popolo. «Volevamo solennizzare il centenario anche con un concept di forte impatto visivo - spiega Lorenzo Ramaciotti, responsabile di Fiat Chrysler Global Design - e avevamo ipotizzato modelli futuribili, autentiche dream car. Marchionne ci chiese invece di cambiare direzione, di pensare con uno sforzo di ricerca a qualcosa che inquadrasse concretamente il futuro del brand. Così abbiamo scelto una configurazione di vettura più tradizionale per Maserati,…

Does anyone still design cars in Turin? The closure of Stile Bertone in July marked the end of an era, but forms part of a process of profound transformation that has been reshaping the world of Turin’s coachbuilders for at least ten years. Of the four historic independent design houses, Pininfarina, Bertone, Italdesign Giugiaro and I.De.A. Institute, only the first is still operative given that the firm founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro is more active than ever but has been fully integrated into the Volkswagen Group’s interbrand design structure. Some new formulas are in the pipeline, however. Mike Robinson, former creative director of Stile Bertone, who left the company last year to set up (on 1 January) a new company with Davide Pizzorno of ED Design, speaks of “Design” 2.0”: “A…

JAC Italy, headed by general manager and design director Lou Tik, has been present in Italy since 2005 with a style centre whose headquarters since 2009 have been in Pianezza on the outskirts of Turin. A team of 15 designers work there coordinated by chief designer Daniele Gaglione, a member of the JAC set-up since 2010. One of their most recent creations is the SC-9 (on this page), unveiled at the last Beijing Motor Show. It is a Suv of majestic proportions, a type of vehicle much appreciated in China, whose lines clearly mirror European styling. A proposal that aims to surprise the public, and it succeeds. “In the all-Italian development of the showcar we were given a completely free hand without having to fall in with any particular demands…

Destinata a esprimere la strategia globale del marchio, la Jeep Renegade combina – nelle intenzioni dei designer di Auburn Hills – uno storico patrimonio stilistico con un design completamente nuovo, pensato per attrarre una clientela giovane. Progettata in America e prodotta nello stabilimento italiano di Melfi è l’espressione più compiuta del matrimonio fra Fiat e Chrysler. Ma soprattutto rappresenta l’ingresso della casa americana nel crescente segmento dei piccoli Suv. «Con un look deciso, forme robuste e proporzioni aggressive – spiega Mark Allen – la nuova Renegade è un’autentica Jeep ed è stata realizzata per garantire capacità offroad di riferimento per la sua categoria e per rappresentare, adatta com’è anche alla guida in città, il design e l’ingegnosità americani». Allen è il responsabile del design Jeep. Parlando di dimensioni, ricorda che…

Ford is offering readers of Auto & Design, students and would-be designers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to show what they can do and to meet with Blue Oval designers and pick up some of their secrets. “Your hands on the wheel” is the name of the contest that invites participants to offer their advanced take on the part which more than any other has always represented the link between a driver and his or her vehicle. Competitors will be able to experiment with new forms and innovative concepts in their personal interpretation of the steering-wheel. As an inspiration to designers taking part, Ford is providing copies of the drawings and sketches (in this page) used over the years to make ever more advanced steering wheels. The contest is open to would-be…

The Vehicle Design programme at London’s Royal College of Art is one of the preeminent automotive design courses in the world. The well-established MA course boasts the highest percentage of alumni working at director level, a figure only rivalled by California’s Art Center College of Design. It’s no wonder then that the course attracts students from all over the world, ranging from aspiring designers coming straight from another degree programme to established industry professionals. The College’s vehicle design programme is a haven for conceptual thinkers and, recognising the opportunities available, draws the interest of OEMs looking for a fresh perspective. This year saw students develop projects sponsored by Bentley, BMW, FIAT, Mercedes-Benz and Honda. “I tell them to come to me with a really strong idea before they begin sketching,”…

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Per i costruttori internazionali la Russia continua ad essere un mercato di rilevo. Così, nonostante i venti di guerra abbiano fatto ovviamente più notizia rispetto alle nuove automobili, a fine agosto il salone di Mosca ha ospitato numerose novità degne di nota, tra cui alcune disegnate proprio in Russa, vedi Lada. La grande rassegna d’autunno è però il Mondial di Parigi, con una lista di debutti che si allunga ogni giorno. Ne pubblichiamo solo alcuni, ma i lanci spaziano a tutto campo nelle tipologie di vetture e vedono coinvolti tutti i gruppi automobilistici. Ad iniziare dai padroni di casa, con l’attesa nuova Renault Espace e concept inediti di PSA. Lungo l’elenco dei Suv, dalla compatta Fiat 500X alle nuove Suzuki Vitara e Kia Sorento, così come delle sportive, dalla rinata Mazda…

From the moment he founded UP Design in 2010, Umberto Palermo’s aim has been to walk in the footsteps of the long-lasting tradition of Italian coachbuilders. This is why, alongside prolific activity in product design for brands like Ariston, Indesit and Illy, he and his team of young creatives have devoted themselves passionately to the development of showcars. The newest arrival time-wise after the Go and the Vittoria is the Lucrezia (named by Umberto Palermo for his newly wed wife), based on the Maserati Quattroporte. This is an elegant, fourseater sports saloon with flowing lines, unveiled on 25 June at the Museo dell’Automobile of Turin. “The challenge presented by the Lucrezia was that of interpreting a big over-5 metre long vehicle”, says Palermo who headed the project in cooperation with…

The Passat is the second best selling vehicle in the Volkswagen range after the Golf. It therefore comes as no surprise that the eighth generation Passat is more of an evolution of the brand’s design language and still immediately identifiable as a Passat. “It’s not a revolution but an evolution,” says Volkswagen design director Klaus Bischoff. “If you go steps too far then you lose the qualities of the Passat.” The brief was to make the new Passat more of a premium car; more comfortable and elegant, elevating the car’s quality feel while retaining its historically strong value proposition. As such, the new model is lighter, has more interior space and more connectivity features than its predecessor. The cornerstone of the Passat’s qualities lies in its functionality, but while practicality…

“Most carmakers are prisoners of styling and they come out with boa-tloads of cosmetic solutions and bizarre sculptural themes”, observes Olivier Boulay: “If for nothing else we have to take credit for finding an exemplary balance between design, namely concept and engineering, and styling: our car offers presence, quality, sturdiness, safety and elegance. The front even has a friendly feel to it, a long way from the feistiness displayed by many of today’s cars”. But the Denza, of which Boulay is the author, is something special; born in China out of the joint-venture between the German company Daimler and the Chinese BYD, the big battery manufacturer, it is the first electric car of new conception and original design to be produced in big numbers. The electric car market is an…

The six hundred patents accumulated over the years should be more than enough to testify to Oakley’s innovative spirit. This Californian company founded in 1975, is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of its acclaimed performance cult eyewear Eyeshades: a cross between sports glasses and sunglasses, a mark of distinction since it first broke on to the scene. There’s nothing nostalgic about the operation, they explain, just the desire to offer winning models (in terms of technology and design), especially to the younger age group that may not already be acquainted with the product. We are talking about eyewear that helped the company take off and was completely innovative at the time compared to previous types of performance eyewear. Great ideas are born out of a combination of factors. In the case…

The introduction of alternative powertrain technologies could provide an opportunity to re-design spaces within a vehicle that were previously constrained by traditional engines. Such freedom should foster design creativity as far as the overall architecture and appearance of future cars are concerned. However, these vehicles require new specific components, that were not relevant in conventional combustion driven cars, to be designed, developed and integrated, hence the design evolution of electric vehicles remains uncertain (Figure 1). The goal of a joint venture between the Free University of Bolzano – represented by the Faculty of Design and Art and the Faculty of Science and Technology – and the Technical University of Munich – represented by the Chair of Automotive Technology – was to define how the adoption of alternative engines is going…

Three decades, four generations, close to five million units sold: numbers that say everything about the historic role of the Ibiza, the first car to be built by an independent Seat. To celebrate its thirtieth birthday the Spanish brand brought to Martorell the designers of this fortunate model who, incidentally, all work in the Volkswagen group. Starting with Giorgetto Giugiaro whose Italdesign became part of the German group in 2010 and to whom we owe the first two Ibiza generations launched respectively in 1984 and 1993. Giugiaro sent a video in which he showed his original sketches and recalled the stages in the project (which also saw the involvement of Karmann for the development of the body and Porsche for the technological aspects of the “system Porsche” engines): a body…