Table of contents for No. 253 in AUTO & DESIGN

The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX breaks through the wall of “range anxiety” caused by the limited range of electric cars. “We wanted to show that it is possible to make a car with a sexy yet functional design that is capable of more than 1,000 kilometres of range on a single charge”, says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Mercedes-Benz Group AG. “The Vision EQXX glides into the wind. Every single centimetre of this prototype contributes to its astonishing aerodynamics: the drag coefficient is just 0.17”. The term prototype is not used haphazardly: “Every part of the EQXX is fully functional, from the engine to the braking system, from the seat controls to the multimedia system. Every single part is type-approved and ready for production While it will be difficult to see…

Perhaps the cue to pinpoint the tapered presence of the Enyaq Coupé iV, Škoda's latest proposal in Volkswagen’s multifaceted electric landscape, lies in its balanced genesis: “Right from the start, although the Enyaq SUV study had begun a few weeks before, we worked in parallel on the two bodies, reasoning alternatively on one and the other. There was hence a continuous transfer of ideas and stylistic elements”, explains Oliver Stefani, design director at Škoda. The coupé variant, therefore, does not betray the sense of functionality of the eponymous model with its larger rear volume, launched in September 2020, while it does nonchalantly conceal a welcoming spirit that aims to be impeccable: “The habitable height of the rear seats remains substantially unchanged, the boot has been slightly reduced (570 litres compared…

There’s a lot of Italy in the Microlino, the micro car developed by Swiss company Micro Mobility but produced and designed in Turin. The cute Bubble Car runabout was designed by Icona Design, which has reinterpreted in a modern key the unmistakable lines of the Iso Isetta, that unique symbol of mass motorisation that animated the 1950s. "The project was based on a few key points", explains Antonino Barone, exterior & concept designer. "The teardrop shape, with its narrow rear track, and the big front door that gives access to the passenger compartment are clearly the most eye-catching elements”. The Microlino's appearance, however, has also tapped into streamlined vehicles. “The inspiration is classic", continues Barone, "but there are modern touches, such as the horizontal lighting strip on the front suggestive…

An innovative mix of light, colour and surfaces. "Day-Night" is the new frontier in trim for car interiors generated by the creativity of the Reichle Advanced Design Centre. This German company leads the way in the management of surface design processes based on the new digital and laser technologies; it specialises in injection moulding finishes, especially for automotive applications. Day-Night brings together tactile and visual dimensions, uniting decoration, 3D textures, colour and lighting in a spectacular set of decorative surfaces, the result of collaboration between the Reichle research, development and design centre, the well-known paint company Mankiewicz and Lightworks GmbH, a supplier of lighting solutions. This textured finish redefines the concept of ambient lighting through partial transillumination of the 3D surfaces, invisible in natural light but evident when the interior…

The second generation of CS75PLUS after the "new evolution" is another advanced step under the guidance of the new technology intelligent aesthetics, which has provided it with a brand-new language. We can see that the vehicle body is more compact and powerful, the light unit design is warmer, and the grille shape is more technological. The second-generation CS75PLUS makes the futuristic city visible. At the beginning of the design, the difficulty for the designer team was: how do we continue the popular models and deliver a solution that satisfies both new and old users? How do we ensure foresight so that the product might have a breakthrough and grow? At this point, we stopped sketching and went back to our roots for a new round of inspiration. When discussing the…

The Changan Automobile Institute of Styling Design, composed of one department and four centres in Chongqing, China, and Turin, Italy, with 24-hour uninterrupted research and development in both places, has a top design team with design strategy capability, styling development capability, and creative capability, which can undertake the entire process of vehicle creative design alone. The team consists of nearly 400 outstanding designers from 25 countries, including many master design directors and senior designers who have worked for world-class brands. With the joining of experts from China and abroad, the Changan design team commenced at a higher starting point, having a broader vision, and has become a powerful design force of Changan Automobile. Along with the further improvement of the professional layout of the Changan Automobile Institute of Styling Design,…

Edition after edition, CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, has become a real car show (moreover, one of the few that has survived). The place where manufacturers have produced glimpses of a more or less probable future amongst blown-up announcements (it has to be said, given the number of flying cars shown in the pre-pandemic editions), made with the sole aim of creating sensationalism, together with serious and concrete innovations that we have ultimately found in the production cars. This is the case with Mercedes which, right under the spotlight of the digital industry fair, announced in 2018 the MBUX system, then last year the EQS’s Hyperscreen and now, in a worldwide web rerun launch, the Mercedes EQXX, a concept car that gives a preview of the electric…

The image is strong and clear, like the message it wishes to convey: Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda in among sixteen brand new concept cars to announce the strategy by which the world's leading car group intends to increase sales of electric vehicles (BEVs) from 2 to 3.5 million units by 2030, and switch to electric-only from 2035. The unveiling at the Mega Web in Tokyo on 14 December was attended by Simon Humphries, Toyota Design Senior General Manager. Auto&Design caught up with him on the subject. How did you coordinate the great work of your design centres? It was a huge satisfaction. The 16 concepts are the result of collaboration among all our style centres around the world, from ED2 in Nice, Calty in Newport Beach and Ann…

The new era of electrification has led designers to have another look at how elegant some of the classic architectures were. Although raised due to the battery packs installed in the floorpan and in response to the crossover trend, traditional purity of line and formal elegance are starting to make a comeback among new saloon models. One example is the R-Aura, the first concept car from Rising Auto, Chinese giant SAIC’s new luxury brand. The result of research by the SAIC Group's design team led by Shao Jingfeng, the R-Aura, explores new uses for travel vehicles in the post-pandemic era, as well as the tastes and needs of premium passengers of the future. The new platform the model is based on is dedicated exclusively to electric vehicles and has enabled…

Rational, engineering considerations are the ruling parameters in the design of large commercial vehicles. But an attractive visual expression adds to the rating of an individual truck’s brand image. Whatever the corporate strategies, however, truck design lasts several product cycles, longer than that of passenger cars. The first design of DAF’s original XF dates back to 1989, with updates in 1997, 2005, 2013 and 2017. So the time had come for an all-new top-of-the range DAF truck rather than just another makeover. The XF/XG/XG+ range is based on a new platform for diesel, hybrid, full-electric or hydrogen applications, with an additional push by new EU guidelines in terms of elongated cab dimensions for improved fuel efficiency, safety and driver comfort. It is the first new series of European trucks to…

The users of the UNI-V do not compromise, and aim for perfection: they pursue individuality, they are unwilling to be ordinary, they do not want to be common, they have to express their personality, their requirements are not low at all, they will never compromise, what they want is the most extreme enjoyment. User research has become a science. The result we want is not a verbal answer from users, but a deep insight into their hearts. It took us 62 days to meet 2,300 people, collect 360 hours of video recordings, travel to 10 benchmark cities, and record 200 representative travelling scenarios, and finally, we got the answer. At the beginning of the design, the positioning of this Dream Car was evident: the extremely explosive appearance should be able…

Surprise with eye-catching solutions while still making one of Kia’s most successful models immediately recognisable. The design of the new Sportage demanded a special effort and the Korean company's design teams responded with a design culture that has matured over the years and grown in step with the brand's reputation and the universally recognised quality of its products. To grasp how successful this evolution has been and the key role played by the Sportage in the Korean maker’s range, we retrace its history with Gregory Guillaume, Head of Design at Kia Europe. His analysis kicks off with the model’s third generation, leaving aside the first two to focus on what he calls "the first Sportage of the modern era, the one launched in 2010, just after Peter Schreyer's arrival at…

The Seven Concept, recently presented at AutoMobility in Los Angeles and a preview of what the Ioniq 7 electric SUV will be in a fairly short time, is perhaps the first car that wants to give an answer to the Covid pandemic. Apart from all the innovations that induce SangYup Lee, head of global design of the Hyundai group, to talk about "a new path" and "an example of what an SUV must become in the electric age", there is in fact a constant reminder to the hygiene of both air and materials. With the car stopped and empty, for example, an ultraviolet ray sterilization process is started to eliminate viruses and germs. While on the move, the airflow, instead of from the dashboard towards the rear of the car,…

A Japanese car with an Italian heart. Now in its second generation, the Suzuki New S-Cross has been renewed through and throughout. A revolution that starts with the styling, crea-ted by Suzuki’s European design centre based in Turin, in close collaboration with the Japanese manufacturer’s headquarters. «The initial idea was to emphasise the SUV character of this model», says Kimihiko Nakada, Suzuki Italia Centro Stile Director. «To do this, we highlighted certain aspects that have reinforced its image on the road and at the same time have given the New SCross more character», continues Nakada. In fact, although based on the same platform as the previous generation, the New SCross has a completely new design with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged (4.3 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and 1.6…

There is a telling of the strong link with the world of graphics and advertising by the large posters on the walls; the modern and colourful environments with innovation and design: a collection of cups of every shape, size and colour, together with an unmistakable scent of roasting welcomes us into the world of coffee, a precious raw material around which cultural and social interactions have always developed. We are invited by Lavazza to explore its relationship with design, recently celebrated with the publication of the book "Lavazza Design People. 1996-2020”. A bond that has existed since the brand’s early days, growing during the 1950s and 1960s in an extraordinary period for the world of Italian design, and fuelled by continuous research and experimentation that led, in 2015, to the…

“Conventional fuel vehicles will one day become 'outdated', and electrification is an inevitable trend in automotive development.” A few years ago, it became Changan’s desire to develop a pure electric platform model. The Changan designer team placed high hopes on it when the project was established, expecting it to show the new changes and new patterns of Changan. During the brainstorming, the sudden words of a member of the team made us think: “What kind of electric vehicle are we going to create now? Changan is currently experiencing the transition to a high-end brand. However, there is an old Chinese proverb: highbrow songs find few singers. If our vehicle is going to take the high-end route, it will screen the crowd… Now we have two options, will it be a…