Features
Book review: Vintage Works – A car designer’s sketchbook
Tim Pilsbury’s books have charmed us for years at CDN, from his instructive guides to automotive interiors to this series of sketch diaries, Pilsbury brings his perspective to bear on automotive classics as well as his personal favourites
Watch: Back to the Future of Interiors
Watch this Car Design News livestream featuring General Motors, Group Lotus and Lawrence Technological University as they reflect on changing interiors over the last 20 years and as they look ahead to the next 20.
What has happened to Audi design?
(Single)Framing the rise and decline of design kings, Audi. Design critic Wayne Batty is unconvinced by the Bauhaus aspirations of the German marque’s ’Sphere series
Review: Motion – Autos, Art, Architecture
Curated by architect Norman Foster, Motion: Autos, Art, Architecture at the Guggenheim Bilbao is an visually stunning and elegiac tribute to the golden age of the automobile
Exclusive: CDN Tours Lucid's New Design Studio
Car Design News’ North America correspondent Laura Burstein is the first non-Lucid employee inside the new Silicon Valley space, which encompasses more than just designing cars
Design industry survey reveals frustrations with decision-making process
An industry survey has revealed frustrations with slow decision-making and poor communication in the design process
Car Design News launches the 2022 Student Awards China
The prestigious design competition returns for the 13th time with Geely Auto, Lotus, Lynk & Co and Zeekr challenging students to envision the future
Porsche’s Fabian Schmölz walks CDN through the VisionGT Race Car
The brand’s first-ever digital-only car for Sony PlayStation’s GT 7 allowed designers complete freedom. Car Design News’ Laura Burstein spoke to designer Fabian Schmölz about the concept
The expanding universe of the pick-up truck
Times, and powertrains, are changing – Karl Smith investigates how the pickup truck is finding itself in the middle of an ever-expanding universe of products
The design process gets a thorough examination in the latest Konzepthaus report
Konzepthaus report examines the organisation of design teams, with detail on the relationship between employees and supervisors
A new book on Lamborghini focuses on the brand’s design history
Author Gautam Sen has turned his attention to Lamborghini to examine the legendary Italian marque’s design pedigree. Car Design News spoke to him about what readers can expect from this extensive tome
Driven: Infiniti QX60
Infiniti’s best-selling vehicle in the U.S., the QX60, has been updated with a new design and refined driving dynamics
Book Review: Roots and Wings – Peter Schreyer: Designer, Artist and Visionary
Peter Schreyer, the man who steered Audi and Volkswgen through the 80s and 90s, and completely transformed Kia, Hyundai and Genesis, is now the subject of a stellar monograph examining his work
Organisation and leadership under microscope in Konzepthaus report
Konzepthaus report examines the organisation of design teams, with detail on the relationship between employees and supervisors
Reinventing Luxury with Chris Bangle
At the recent Pratt Institute Design Symposium 2021 on Re-Inventing Luxury held at the Whitney Museum in New York City, car designer and thinker Chris Bangle shared his thoughts on creating a new narrative around luxury design. Car Design News publishes his talk here
Konzepthaus report covers employment development in car design
Salary information and details on career development in car design are among the central topics of this new report from Konzepthaus
Italian car design legends captured in unique photobook
Italian car design greats captured in unique new photo book by Car Design News contributor and former Bertone employee Piotr Degler
Do these GM concepts signal the return of the personal luxury car?
Two futuristic concepts, the Buick Smart Pod and the Cadillac Innerspace Concept recently introduced by General Motors, point to a revival of a classic format
Interview: Stellantis chief design officer, Jean-Pierre Ploué on Lancia’s future
An almost forgotten brand, Lancia is now the focus of Stellantis’ chief design officer Jean-Pierre Ploué who will oversee the revival of the brand. Car Design News spoke to him about legacy, why he likes small teams and what makes Lancia unique
Opinion: a brand story untold – Mercedes’ EQS
Telling the brand story will be the most important task for car designers in the future as electrification, urbanisation, congestion and developments around self-driving cars will conspire to curtail the driving experience. Thus, the brand story will soon be the only truly differentiating USP. Niels van Roij examines the Mercedes-Benz EQS in this light
Exclusive interview: Maximilian Missoni, head of design, Polestar
Car Design News contributing editor Guy Bird spoke to Polestar’s head of design Maximilian Missoni about sustainability goals, future products and brand identity
Where next for SUV design?
The success of SUVs has been remarkable story but has brought with it an aesthetic homogeneity. Can designers harness electrification and new technology to reinvigorate the segment?
An interview with Karl Smith, author of Brave New Car
A new publication by longtime Car Design News contributor Karl Smith looks at the future of the car, examining how electrification, autonomy, fresh ideas around luxury, interior concepts can offer a way out of the current cul de sac we find ourselves in
Review: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2021
Goodwood Festival of Speed has become the premier UK car show with a variety of cars both old and brand spanking new on display. What’s more its outdoors which means Covid restrictions are a little less stringent. Armed with camera and notebook, longtime CDN contributor Guy Bird reports
Opinion: Secret design sauce comes from expert artistry
Car design is shrowded in mystery, with brands pedalling an intangible narrative that detracts from the talent and expertise of highly skilled professionals
Studio Visit: Nissan Design America
With an eclectic spirit fostered by the late Jerry Hirshberg, the California satellite studio in La Jolla is a designer’s sanctuary with a storied history
Opinion: Rollin’ coal, culture wars and Ford’s ‘Truck of the Future’
In the United States, the ICE versus EV debate became a battleground in an ongoing culture war. But as more and more combustion era icons go electric, can design help cut through the noise and usher in a new automotive culture?
Opinion: The car remains king in Barratt Homes Britain
From automation, EVs and new ideas of urbanism – the role of the car is under question when it comes to urban centres. Venture outside metropolitan areas and you will find a new suburbia designed and built with the car at its heart. Good news for any OEMs wedded to the status quo but a challenge for proponents of new ideas of mobility
Chinese design talent dominates in Shanghai
Shanghai proved a more relaxed affair than Beijing last year, PR nightmares for Tesla not withstanding, with European OEMs playing second fiddle to a slew of new launches by homegrown talent such as Arcfox, Nio and Xpeng
Can we design cars without killing the planet?
It’s Earth Day, and car design should play a key role
Post Opulence: A Softer Tomorrow?
A decade or more of adversarial design and in-your-face attitudes has left us in need of a breather. Might a new era of post-opulent aesthetics mellow us out? Aidan Walsh hopes so.
Opinion: Transforming old into new
Revered retrofit architects Lacaton & Vassal’s recent Pritzker Prize win poses some interesting questions for car designers, writes CDN editor James McLachlan
Review – DeLorean: Back from the Future
A testament to hubris wrought in stainless steel – the DeLorean story elevated the act of building a car into the realms of Shakespearean tragedy. A fascinating new BBC documentary profiles the man at the heart of it
Car Design News partners with GMC to bring you the Hummer EV
The Hummer EV counters preconceived ideas of the nameplate thanks to its innovative design and technology, Car Design News partners with GMC to give you the lowdown
The three-box sedan: requiem or revival?
Stateside, the three-box sedan seems to be in retreat with VW withdrawing the Passat and Lincoln phasing out the Continental. Is it all over for this time-honoured format, or does its future simply lie elsewhere in the world?
Car Design News: Best stories of 2020
The editorial team at Car Design News highlights their favourite stories of the year: Lucid Motors, Jeep and Land Rover all make an appearance
Comment: Too much minimalism?
Everyone is a minimalist these days, but beyond being a handy catch-all for pared back aesthetics, what does the term mean for car design? Are designers sacrificing ornament at the altar of functionality as embodied by touchscreens?
CDR 7: SangYup Lee, Hyundai
Hyundai’s design kingpin SangYup Lee on the Prophecy, Dieter Rams, and why he wants to create a car range that is like a chess set
Hitting the e-SUV spot
OEMs are rushing to bring out more electric SUVs in a bid to meet emissions targets and protect margins. But they will require innovations in design and engineering to stay desirable and competitive in an increasingly crowded field
