Pixar interviews Tesla at LA Conference

It was one of those only-in-LA moments. The creative director of one of the most successful animated movie franchises in history interviews the lead designer of a brash young automotive start-up.

That was the scenario last week at the Future of the Automobile conference at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Franz von Holzhausen and Jay Ward just before their interview

Jay Ward, Creative Director at Pixar, and Franz von Holzhausen of Tesla, sat down for a discussion of about Tesla and automotive design. It was the only real design-oriented discussion in a day full of speculations about Big Data, Big China, Big Cities and Big Autonomy.

The following is a summary of their conversation, with questions from the audience, all lightly edited for this report:

Von Holzhausen assisted Jay Mays and Freeman Thomas in the design of the Volkswagen Concept One, which became the New Beetle

Jay Ward (JW): Franz, could you tell us about some of the people who have influenced your career?

Franz von Holzhausen (FvH): My father was an industrial and graphic designer, so I grew up around design.

I am an Art Center grad and attended both their Californian and European campuses, and learned from some great teachers.

My first job was at Volkswagen/Audi, working with Jay Mays and Freeman Thomas. From them, I learned to appreciate design purity, of form and function working together as was taught at the Bauhaus. I learned to design cars with an initial attraction and then delight, along with an awareness of function.

I also admire the work of Alexander McQueen and Tom Ford, and purity of the architectural work of Tadao Ando.

Benesse House, Tadao Ando architect

JW: As you look back on your career, what projects have been most meaningful to you?

FvH: I worked with Jay Mays and Freeman Thomas on the Volkswagen New Beetle. That was car that was about nostalgia. It was an attempt to find the ‘Beetle in all of us’. It was a Bauhaus, minimalist Beetle.

While at GM, I worked on the Pontiac Solstice, which was an attempt to create a Lotus Elan for Pontiac and establish a pure aesthetic. GM at the time seemed to have a new design language every year. The Solstice was an attempt to get beyond that.

At Mazda, they had the tag line “Zoom-Zoom”, but their production cars did not reflect that. We worked to get a more dynamic design language into their cars.

Pontiac Solstice Concept (2002) – Lotus Elan purity for General Motors

JW: You have been at Tesla since, well, the beginning. Was developing a fresh, new design language a liberating, or daunting task?

FvH: It was both. But we returned to the basics of function and form. Tesla is really about form and function working together. You can create something beautiful, but if it’s not functional, is it really design?

We looked at the electric power – the layout of the batteries, motors, etc. – and then developed the passenger compartment, the area we call the “opportunity space,” from there. The exterior was designed to be alluring and draw you in.

Tesla’s design is meant to be a true disruptor. Most automotive design is still centred around the internal combustion engine.

Tesla Model 3

JW: Could you outline some of the essentials of the Tesla design language? We certainly know about the lack of a grille. But what else?

FvH: The electric powertrain allows for a purer form/function relationship. We can have a purer form and minimal décor. But we must move forward in a way that doesn’t alienate the mass market. You must design with that in mind.

JW: What is coming at Tesla that excites you?

FvH: We certainly look forward to developing Tesla’s design language as electric power technologies evolve. The era of autonomy will offer opportunities for distinctive design and new levels of comfort.

That said, there will always be a driver’s car, as our next-generation Roadster has shown. Also we are looking forward to the Tesla truck and its innovative design.

Franz von Holzhausen and his design team with the new Tesla Roadster

Moderator: We have time for a few questions from the audience…

Audience Question (AQ): When Tesla first started, there was talk of a battery swap program instead of Superchargers. What happened to that?

FvH: We beta-tested both battery swapping and the superchargers, and although the time to swap batteries was almost as low as charging, the Supercharger, in the end, was the more compelling solution.

AQ: We are sitting in a room full of priceless Ferraris. Will there still be a place for the collectible car in a future of autonomy and ride sharing?

FvH: Absolutely. Collecting classic cars will continue – people are fascinated with cars. What’s too bad is that they have to be kept in a museum, static on platforms like you see here. They were meant to be experienced in motion, with all the sights and sounds and smell of the engine and exhaust – a whole sensory experience.

AQ: Was Space X an influence on the design of the Model S?

FvH: At the beginning, we had a big tent in a corner of the Space X facility. But we are separate companies, and have since moved to our own studio. I can’t say that Space X influenced the design of the Model S, but the Space X team certainly inspired us with their focus, their exacting standards, and their dedication.

Tesla Model 3 Interior – an exercise in minimalism

AQ: After a l-o-n-g wait we have finally received our Model 3. We love it. Could you tell us more about the interior design of the car?

FvH: We wanted to create a beautiful minimalist statement with the design of the Model 3. The design, the materials, the touch screen. The touch screen draws you in, becomes the centre of the design. The screen prepares the Tesla for autonomy. The over-the-air updating system in Teslas allow the product to get better over time.

There’s no other car that truly improves with age. The Model 3 really does this.

We call it “ageing into the future”.

Photos courtesy of Los Angeles World Affairs Council, and the Los Angeles Times