Table of contents for No. 249 in AUTO & DESIGN

With the EV6, constructed on the E-GMP (Electric-Global Modular Platform) and Kia’s first totally electric car, the Korean brand’s designers succeeded in surprising with new and unexpected formal treatments. The company defines it as a crossover, but it is fairly difficult to establish which types are crossed in its aerodynamic car body with pure and generous volumes. “We wanted to go beyond the current segmentation”, explains Karim Habib, Senior Vice President of Kia Design. “In the EV6, there is the sportiness of a fastback, the stance of a compact hatch, and, perhaps, a little of the raw strength of a rally car too. The result was made possible by the great work done by the engineers on the new EV architecture: our task was, above all, that of understanding its…

“Citroën mdels have always been driven by originality criteria to deliver innovation”. When talking about the C5 X, his latest creation, Pierre Leclercq, head of Citroën design since 2018, seems to echo Oscar Wilde in his “Portrait of Dorian Gray”: “To define is to limit”. “It would be wrong to pack the C5 X into a specific category: it’s as tall as a crossover, as spacious as a flagship, as comfortable as a station wagon and as dynamic as a grand tourer”, Leclercq tells us in an online interview. For the range’s flagship, the Citroën design team opted for a solution that swam against the tide of a market that is increasingly dominated by SUVs: “We are living in a new period of change and with this model we are…

“Over the decades, Jeep has faced many challenges and has adapted to all of them. At first, with a wide-ranging evolution in the United States, where it was founded, then in an international context, becoming a global brand. Adaptation is at the base of its DNA”. Daniele Calonaci, head of Jeep design for Europe, who we meet on the occasion of a test drive of the new Compass, explains how Darwinism is a strong point for a brand that is highly regarded throughout the world. “To face new needs and different customers, Jeep has always adapted, evolving without betraying its DNA. In Europe, 80 per cent of the population lives in urban areas. Jeep has always adapted to the off-road, now it is increasingly adapting to cities, with the advantage…

An authentic benchmark for those who love the most sophisticated manifestations of the car; Italian excellence that plays in the recesses of art and fashion; sought-after lifestyle material that can enthral lovers of contemporary design. When you think you know every shade of Alcantara, suddenly another development blossoms under the observer’s eye, one that is marked by versatility and a tendency for innovation with few equals. “It is an extremely rich, unique material that lends itself to infinite ways of processing”, says Andrea Boragno, Chairman and CEO of the company. "One of the most interesting projects in recent times was the Microsoft Surface line, laptop computers whose keyboards Alcantara covered and that, however, only represent the final destination of a long research journey. Already in the 1970s, for example, names…

Brembo has always been synonymous with high performance braking systems. Founded in 1961, the Italian company today celebrates its first sixty years of activity; an activity marked by ongoing technological research and cutting-edge products. To celebrate this prestigious anniversary, Brembo today presents the New G Sessanta, a concept inspired by the revolutionary brake caliper designed in the early 1970s for Moto Guzzi, although the G in this case also stands for Gotti, in honour of the designer, and New Generations. The New G Sessanta underlines Brembo’s links with its tradition but also projects the company into the future. This new design features Led lights applied directly to the body of the caliper. Their purpose is two-fold: to accentuate form on the one hand, and communicate with the driver on the…

One effect of the relentless success of SUVs is that it has made inroads into the sales of classic hatchback saloons, an architecture that until recently was particularly popular in Europe. For it to make a comeback an injection of character is needed, and that’s what Peugeot designers have set out to do with the new 308. "Personality, style, performance. The 308’s path is marked out clearly in Peugeot’s DNA: the work of the team was focused on creating a sensual and sharp new style, while at the same time raising the car to a higher level and making it even more dynamic", says Matthias Hossann, head of Peugeot design since July 2020, in an online interview. A decisive step towards the higher end of the market in which the…

The Jeep Wrangler belongs to that very small circle of models able to preserve and, at the same time, evolve their identity over the decades. In 80 years of Jeep history, the Wrangler has been the fulcrum around which the entire range has developed, inspiring features, spirit, and, above all, style. “Still today, the Wrangler remains our most representative model, able to express the true essence of Jeep and it’s strongly connected with the legendary 1941 Willis”, Mark Allen, head of global design for Jeep since 2009, tells us. The link with the past isn’t suffocating, however, for future aspirations and to be competitive on the market today, an evolution towards electrification is necessary. If the American off-road motto is that of being unstoppable, the version driven by the hybrid…

The arena of urban crossovers is filling out at a constant pace. Thus, whoever is tasked with new proposals, studies formula for unexpectedly sophisticated features: “We began with a philosophy of maximising wellbeing”, says Daisuke Akojima, exteriors designer for the third-generation Honda HR-V. “For example, we dedicated even more attention to the rear passengers, redesigning, among other things, the profile of the windows to improve light on board, and, more generally, we aimed at a language capable of expressing protection without slipping into imposing or muscular shapes”. On the visual plane, this configuration is translated into surprisingly polished and simple surfaces that are a long way from the insistent aggressiveness of some competitors, which not even the very inclined rear window charges with excessive intensity. “Right from the start, we…

Shanghai Auto Show has become the most influential show of the year. It is no exaggeration to call it the “New Energy Auto Show”. Out of over 60 new releases in the show, 34 were new energy vehicles, including 28 BEV (and only six PHEV). The show’s theme was “Embracing Change”, an apt definition for the current automotive industry. Chinese startup companies, ranging from NIO to Xpeng, stole the limelight at this year’s Auto Show, which was, until now, the global automakers’ preview. Though already launched earlier this year, the flagship sedan from NIO, ET7, was still one of the show’s main attractions with the official debut of the full interiors. Despite the sedan’s representing a declining segment in the rest of the world, it still takes about 40% of…

In the two years that have passed since the presentation of the el-Born concept to the birth of the production model Cupra Born (the name is that of one of the most iconic districts of Barcelona, but, in English, also conveys the car’s birth in a new world) many things have changed. First of all, the definitive vehicle is no longer a Seat, but a Cupra. It’s precisely because it is a Cupra that it had to have a more strikingly sporty character, able to express agility and high performance. Especially since, as Jorge Díez explains, this is the Martorell manufacturer’s first electric car and is, therefore, called upon to prove that “an electric car doesn’t, necessarily, have to be boring - in fact, it can be exciting”. Díez, who…

Eighty years of history and innovation. “The success of Jeep is strongly linked to our roots. We are one of the few brands that has a direct line with its own customers and organises special events where the meeting between them and the people who work at Jeep generates motivation, ideas, and firm projects for the future”. Mark Allen, Head of Jeep Design since 2009, enthusiastically remembers the Jeep Easter Safari of last April. It’s an annual event that gathers the most loyal fans, shows the brand’s vision for the future, and, for this year’s edition, celebrates the eightieth anniversary of the creation of the legendary American off-road SUV. Tradition and future co-exist at Jeep through strongly identifying stylistic elements, which have made all the models unmistakable. “From the iconic,…

Although some time has passed since the launch of the last generation Seat Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo and Audi A1 (introduced in March '17, September '17 and September '18, respectively), only now has the line-up of "small" cars on the MQB A0 platform of the Volkswagen Group been completed with the most recent iteration of the Fabia. Its aim is to rewrite some of the model’s axioms without upending its codes. "The new mechanical base has redefined our approach and made it much fresher", Oliver Stefani, head of design, is quick to point out. "After consulting with the marketing people, it was decided to exploit the modified proportions, which include a slightly lowered roof, to achieve a much more dynamic impact". However, this new emotional buzz does not obscure the deep-seated…