A partnership with Pininfarina and Geely will soon see Polish brand Izera launch its first electric vehicle. We caught up with head of design Tadeusz Jelec to find out more
After three decades with JLR alone and nearly four years running his own consultancy, Polish designer Tadeusz Jelec said to himself that he would retire around 2019. But car designers never really retire – most times it is simply a brief career break. Indeed, Jelec soon found himself back in the game but only because the right project had caught his eye: an opportunity to lead the design of a new Polish car brand.
“When I decided to retire, I felt like I had very much played a role in the creation of the UK’s automotive history,” he told Car Design News. ”But when I was offered the position with EMP, I thought, this is my chance to go back to my roots and create something of a Polish kind.”
Izera, a product of State-owned Electromobility Poland (EMP), revealed two concept cars back in 2020, a hatchback and an SUV, in collaboration with Pininfarina. Both models share a similar front and rear end, with undulating, sculptural taillights that are mirrored at the front of the car.
Both also have smooth surfacing that is broken up around the sideskirts, which tuck in at the waist. The rear bumper does not sit flush on either model and justs out slightly, adding a little muscle to the design that is otherwise very approachable. Black surfacing on the B-pillar creates a pillarless look, while the roof and shoulder lines converge toward the rear of the car. “We were trying to create a surface language that is beautiful, expressive, and yet full of confidence,” explains Jelec.
All in all, both the hatchback and SUV have a familiar feel, which is by design. This was a chance to build a kind of pseudo-heritage for Izera, which is starting from scratch with no history to speak of, a challenge that all start-ups find themselves missing.
“The two show cars were necessary to establish some sort of a DNA because, as opposed to the history of Jaguar where the DNA was already there, I felt that we were lacking something in the case of Izera,” says Jelec. “These two models were very, very helpful in establishing that for us.”
This was a good start, but in November 2022 things changed when an agreement was signed with Geely Group to adopt its SEA platform. This would decide the packaging and overall dimensions of the car, and although a major step toward series production, it did mean the original designs needed some tweaking.
“Although those two show cars allowed us to trial the surface language and the face and so on, in 2022 when we received the final details for the platform, and things started to become real. Sometimes, when you start joining the dots, the proportions can be completely demolished – the front overhang is far too long or too short, for example – so getting that platform presented challenges but it also helped the final design to take shape.”
But crucially, the platform allows for a wide range of different vehicle segments, with a wheelbase that can range between 1800mm to 3300mm depending on the project.
An RCA graduate and sporting a midlands twang, Jelec admits he might naturally be a little biased towards design cues from British sportscars – he was involved in the F-Type Coupe, the X308 XJ and the S-Type saloon, for example.
“I’ve worked with some of the greatest designers in this world, like Ian Callum, Geoff Lawson, Peter Stevens, and Keith Helfet who did the XJ220. I have learnt how to treat surfaces and proportions, all the aspects that will effectively be visible in our design,” says Jelec. ”This is the background I have, so I suppose Jaguar has had have an incredible influence on me. It’s inevitable that certain ways of treating the design will be reflected in Izera.”
Having an experienced guy like myself and the experts in aesthetics – Pininfarina – creates a blend that could only bring success
However, Jelec is passionate about his place of birth and – despite a clear affection for Coventry where he has spent most of his adult life – the overall design language draws inspiration from the Izera mountains to the south of the country. These will be family cars with a calm yet confident appearance, Jelec says, which reflects the nature of the Izera region (and those who live there).
Descriptions like these do run the risk of sounding a little flowery, using elaborate storytelling for a marketing narrative. But from chatting with Jelec, it feels authentic. Working in tandem with Milan-based Baolab, for example, the CMF strategy has drawn on the various hues and textures present in the Izera mountains, from frozen grass, bright autumn leaves and smooth rock formations found in streams.
Again, it does feel a little too good to be true, but Jelec points out that a photographer was in fact commissioned to travel around this region to gather inspiration (see above). And it is important to stress that we do not know exactly how this has materialised for Izera, as the concepts made public have since been rethought. Updated images are in the works, CDN is told.
From Pininfarina’s side, the first port of call is ex-Rolls-Royce designer Felix Kilbertus, who joined the Italian design house as chief creative officer earlier in 2023, although there is of course a wider team beyond that. Having younger designers on board in particular has helped to push Jelec and adapt his approach to the overall design.
“The whole team is really good and super approachable, and because I’m of a certain age, having a younger team gives you that buzz and ensures you are not too old-fashioned in your approach. Combining the experienced guy, like myself, with the experts in aesthetics – which Pininfarina undoubtedly is – creates a blend that can only bring success. It’s brilliant.”
The first vehicles based on the SEA architecture are expected by the end of 2025, built at EMP’s plant in at Jaworzno, Poland. In November 2023, the second phase for the first Izera model, an SUV, was completed, putting the project roughly 40% of the way.
Of the PLN 500m (£97.65M) about PLN 277m has been spent, and the EMP team now counts around 130 employees in total, not including those from Pininfarina and Geely. It will be interesting to see how the project develops, and how Polish design might stand out from an increasingly congested, homogenised market.
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