Table of contents for 262 - September / October 2023 in AUTO & DESIGN

It all started with Akio Toyoda’s sneakers. “He questioned: why couldn’t we create a car that broke down the luxury hierarchy in the way you see in the fashion world?”. This was recounted by Simon Humphries, Operating Officer and Chief Branding Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation, when he introduced the new Lexus LBX to the press at a preview in Milan. The request made at the time by the president of the Japanese group obviously immediately kicked off a project: the smallest production Lexus to be built on a variant of Toyota group’s GA-B platform for compact cars. “Akio remarked that if the LM is a tailored business suit, and the LFA is a high-quality racing suit, we should also have a casual attire for the run to the shops…

DRIVING BRAND EVOLUTION THROUGH AUTO DESIGN “Design can best be described as the concept of a brand appearance to the public. It’s also the most powerful force that pushes a brand towards innovation.” This is according to Chen Zheng, the Vice President of Geely Auto Group. In February 2023, Geely unveiled its brand-new, mid-to-high-end, new-energy series: Geely Galaxy. On this fresh track of intelligent electrification, facing a new consumer demographic, Geely is revolutionizing the game with new technological solutions for an entire product line. In response to the younger Chinese demographic’s increased demand for cultural confidence, recognition of Chinese aesthetics, and unique self-expression, Geely Design returns to the roots of Chinese culture. Drawing inspiration from Chinese aesthetics, with the design philosophy of “Authentic Chinese, Beyond Tradition, and More Happiness”, Geely…

Here the watchword is quality. The aim of the Chinese Roewe (SAIC Group) brand in its design of the D7 electric saloon was to offer its customers refinement accompanied by impressive performance and topnotch craftsmanship. The design team led by Shao Jingfeng went for technological elegance, the brand's fresh design philosophy that aims to blend classic lines and minimal edges with layers of innovation. The first move on the board involved the proportions. The designers’ idea was to create a comfortable, highly aerodynamic saloon with a commanding road presence and some serious personality features. What they came up with was a length of 4.8 metres and a wheelbase of 2.8 metres with trimmed-down overhangs and plenty of space for occupants and batteries tucked under the floor. The smoothly flowing silhouette…

BMW Digital Garden by Soyoon Choi A de luxe autonomous-drive car for private use allowing its lucky owners to enjoy the beauty of a European-style garden, recreated in the cockpit, as they drive through the great Asian megacities. Aiming to provide a unique user experience, this proposal combines digital content and physical elements in a refined and relaxing interior environment that simulates natural scenery, sounds and colours. Una vettura a guida autonoma di lusso per uso privato che permette ai fortunati proprietari di godere della bellezza di un giardino in stile europeo, ricreato nell’abitacolo, mentre attraversano le grandi megalopoli asiatiche. Con lo scopo di fornire un’esperienza unica all’utente, questa proposta combina infatti contenuti digitali ed elementi fisici in un ambiente interno ricercato e rilassante che simula scenari, suoni e colori…

Volvo EX30 Cover story “Small is a grand philosophy.” Not only that: "Great things have small beginnings.” In short, insists Jim Rowan, who more than a year ago was appointed President and CEO of Volvo by the Chinese Geely group, “small can be bigger than it seems." The leitmotif that accompanies the latest addition to Gothenburg, an electric SUV with exceptional performance, "small but big," is very clear. “The very best of Volvo in a smaller package.” Without forgetting, as regards a great workhorse of the Swedish company, that "small can be big on safety too." Alright, we get it. The EX30 is small but it will be Volvo's trump card. The numbers will tell: the fact that it is produced in China, in the Zhangjiakou plant, immediately reveals an…

“Fun, efficient and very nippy”. With these words Francois Leboine, Fiat's head of design, describes the rebirth process of the Topolino, which has returned to market transformed into a fashionable electric quadricycle to move about the city with agility. “Projects created with instinct and passion, by working hard in a very short time, end up being the best: we developed the Topolino in just six months. Our task was not easy, but the result is there for all to see. We have created an object of desire that is unquestionably a Fiat”, Leboine explains, satisfied. The starting point was the Citroën Ami, and its bodywork could not be radically modified. “We therefore worked on several exterior details drawing on our legendary models of the past”, continues Alberto Dilillo, head of…

No questioning that 2020 was a special year for the entire planet, but at Renault it will be remembered above all for the breath of fresh air that swept through the company with the arrival of new CEO Luca De Meo and the unveiling of his 'Renaulution' strategic plan. In the ensuing organisation-bybrands shake-up, Laurens van den Acker was appointed Executive VP for Design at the Renault Group (thus heading up the four Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize studios). 2020 also saw the arrival of Gilles Vidal to run Renault's brand design at a time when De Meo was stressing the need for a broader portfolio of C and D segment models, including a new flagship to be built immediately. That’s where the Rafale came from: a blast of fresh…

Create a completely new model where only the name is a legend. For the new 600, reborn as a crossover 68 years after the debut of the original signed off by Dante Giacosa, the Fiat design team led by Francois Leboine faced a major challenge. They had to design from scratch a model that would bear a mythical name: “the 600”, says Leboine, whom we met at the Fiat style centre in Turin. The project took off in 2020 amidst the thousand challenges of the pandemic: “The topic was clear from day one”, continued Alberto Dilillo, head of exterior design at Fiat, “to create a compact electric SUV (in some markets it will also come in a mild hybrid version, ed.) recalling the legendary 600 in its details, but with…

At a first glance, it’s deceptive. The shape of the electric Polestar 4 might lead a distracted observer to think of it as a particularly curvy saloon, but it is Maximilian Missoni, Polestar’s head of design, who makes us think twice. “The Polestar 4 is a chameleon: we did a great job with its disguise”, smiles Missoni, whom we meet at the Shanghai Motor Show where the car made its début on a particularly striking stand surrounded by thousands of red poppies. “As with all our cars, we started from the proportions, which had to be compact but sleek at the same time. Hence the reason for such a dynamic silhouette with a long wheelbase and tapered rear”, Missoni continues. For the new model, the mission this time was more…

Ford Tourneo Courier Design story “Maximum style, space and practicality in a compact package.” By throwing down the gauntlet in the important segment of small MPVs for multiple use, Ford is also seizing the challenges of the future. In fact, the new Tourneo Courier will already hit European roads this year with a petrol engine (EcoBoost 1.0 three-cylinder with 125 bhp), but as early as next year, under the name E-Tourneo Courier, it will be among the ten electric cars which Ford has undertaken to produce by that deadline. It also marks a richer collaboration of Ford Europe with Ford Otosan, a Turkish joint-venture between Ford and Koç Holding which has already been in existence for many years but which on this occasion has played a primary role above all…