The current generation Cayman from 2005 and its soft top twin, the second generation Boxster from 2004, were designed in parallel with the 997. They were an evolutionary progression of the original 1996 Boxster design and based very closely on the 996, which in turn was very much an evolution of the original 911...  The relationship between Porsches across the range and over time is arguably closer than for any other car brand, but the new Cayman and Boxster unveiled in LA last week are truly ‘just' face-lifts and not next generation designs.

The core difference that both the new Boxster and Cayman share relative to their predecessors are their more triangular headlamps - reminiscent of the Carrera GT - which reach further up and back along the front fender and help differentiate these Porsches from the 911. At the rear, the lights are now LEDs and now have a slight 'drop-eye' graphic and a more fluid shape.

The front fenders have been subtly re-profiled with the new front lights, but this appears to be the only sheet metal change. New large bumper moldings are the biggest surface change, being slightly less bluff and incorporate new lower grilles. On the Cayman the three grille apertures cover a larger area, have a near diagonal split between them, and house small circular driving or fog lights. On the Boxster the lower lights run full width across the side grilles and the apertures are smaller and a different shape. Similarly, the Cayman has body color lower wind deflector plate at the rear while the Boxster has dark grey diffuser inserts.

Beyond the minor exterior facelift, the two new Porsches have some technical revisions with direct injection engines, dual clutch transmission and tweaked brakes and suspension - similar to the changes on the 997 announced earlier this year. These facelifts are very successful in subtly refreshing the appearance of the cars while being integral to the existing design. They move the Porsche design theme on minutely, but in doing so underscore how definitive this has become.

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These three new designs share the same platform and are heavily face-lifted versions of cars that were launched at the Detroit Auto Show in 2005.

Solomon Song, who oversaw the design of all three, explained to Car Design News that they all have new sheet metal with the exception of their doors and roof, and that this ‘heavy face-lift' policy is an initiative from Derek Kuzak, Ford's global product development chief.

The Lincoln exterior and interior design differs more from its predecessor than the Mercury or Ford and adopts the latest Lincoln design themes from the MKR concept shown at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. It also introduces some new detailing such as the diagonal cut running down in elevation from the rear lights and has significantly reduced bumper offset.

The biggest change with the Fusion is its deeper and thicker in-section three bar grille, with the top bar extending sideways over the headlamps. But what is most interesting about the Ford is the way the lower front fascia has three apertures that closely echo the European Iosis concept (and Mondeo that it lead to) and how similarly the front of the Fusion has three planes in plan, like the European Fords. Clearly this facelift is preparing the way for a European style Fusion replacement in about three years time.

These three cars, like the Mustang also debuting in LA, demonstrate the value of a major facelift with new sheet metal. They are all clear advancements over their predecessors, embrace the latest design directions for their respective brands and are able to do so in a holistic way that minor facelifts are unable to achieve. But most interestingly, they signal a shift in all three brands' design strategies away from the formal design language of their immediate predecessors that was initiated under J Mays.

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This is the US market debut of the Soul, officially launched in Paris last month after Kia showed the design in Geneva as a concept preview earlier this year. The original production car theme was first seen as the Soul concept at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show.

The Soul is a small car that straddles crossover and hatchback typologies to create a unique type of architecture. Its boxy profile and relatively shallow DLO is reminiscent of the Scion Xb and it will be aiming for a similar customer: young-minded people who need a cheap and practical vehicle that is just a bit different. Unlike the Scion - or the Nissan Cube - the Soul has sturdiness from its SUV crossover genes that seems well-suited for the US market in particular.

The many Souls on display on Kia's LA stand accentuated the spread of appeal that the three Soul concepts at Geneva demonstrated initially. But the relatively subdued color palette, one distinctive gloss black wheel and two quite normal alloy wheel designs and some simple transfer graphics on the hood are limited compared to the variety of personalization options Mini and Scion offer.

Inside, the cabin is very gray and quite conservative, but there are some interesting details, such as the ‘Soul' text incorporated into the seat back graphic, the neat center stack interface and the red lining to the small storage space above it.

Kia has a very distinctive and appealing design with the Soul. Hopefully they can soon increase the ways in which the basic design can be personalized to increase its market appeal, move the brand image forwards and sell more cars.

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