Zhen Su Lin, design director for Dongfeng Motor Corporation, started by explaining some of the distinctly Chinese references and symbols that influence the company's new own-brand range of cars, from the concentrated facial expressions of Peking opera actors translating to a vehicular front face, to the stylized graphic of a swiftly moving Chinese leopard morphing into the side profile of another of his vehicles.

Hideichi Misono, ex-global design boss at Toyota and now president of the company's Tecno Art Research studio, then made a very clear speech explaining how he helped Toyota find its J-Factor and extolling the virtues of China doing the same, but "formed by the spirit of Chinese values rather than relating to specific forms and shapes".

Richard Chung, VP of design, consumer research and communication at conference sponsor Johnson Controls, expanded on Misono's findings by citing the success of KFC versus McDonald's in China - unlike its rival, KFC offers a unique menu for the local market.

Design director of GM PATAC, Friedhelm Engler, followed that up by explaining how his team tried to weave local influences into the design of its latest Buick Business Concept show car - from Liuli glassware influencing the instrumentation and lighting, to the dark red royal Zitan wood color referenced on the exterior and seating. He too warned against a ‘cut and paste' approach, proposing instead a "more China-inspired rather than C-factor" angle.

Li Yanlong, associate professor at Tongji University, rounded up the session with personal perspectives on C-Factor versus E-factor (or US-factor), postulating that the Western view of their car is as ‘a lover' rather than ‘their love', as in China (visually represented by the image of a serene and delicate Chinese girl). He cites the example of the Chinese market-only VW Lavida - "Harmony is the key," rather than superficial graphic elements.

Session 4 - Design Workshop

The last session of the day saw the focus shift to computer-aided design, styling and design management processes. Guillaume Diet, digital manager of conference sponsor Technicon Design, artfully demonstrated both the benefits (and some challenges) of using polymodeling, by building a full 3D computer-generated car image from a 2D sketch. He also revealed how the tool could be used to make easy modifications in real-time for design reviews, claiming that it is five times faster than ICEM and Alias. Conference sponsor OPTIS' global project manager Guenther Hansa, then made a fascinating speech on software developed in conjunction with Catia that can simulate potential issues with windscreen glare, viewpoints and lighting conditions.

The last speaker on day one, Julian Quincey, chief of design and styling for Holden Special Vehicles, outlined the importance of software to adapt conventional vehicles to sportier versions: "I'm not a computer freak but Showcase is so easy to adjust. You just click on the ‘matt black plastic' or ‘chrome' options within the interior trim section, adjust their brightness and then you can visualize how they might look in various virtual environments. Ultimately I still recruit car designers rather than from the video gaming industry, as I don't necessarily want pretty pictures as much as design solutions."

[Click here to read the report from Day 2 of the Interior Motives China Conference 2009, including fiery debates about Chinese copycat cars plus the future of eco design solutions]

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