Features
Interview: Michael Simcoe, senior VP design, General Motors
In an exclusive interview with Car Design News, General Motors senior VP of design Michael Simcoe talks about the role of design within the company, the Warren campus extension, and the complexities of electrification
Review: Artcenter Invitational 2023
The annual Artcenter Invitational returns with a renewed focus on the school and the students, and the cars
Flashback: Four fibreglass pioneers of the car world
Often derided as “a poor man’s carbon fibre”, fiberglass was critical in the development of the modern sports car. CDN takes a look back to the beginnings of the composites era
Watch: More than just a new coat of paint - Alias 2024
Watch on-demand our CDN webinar with Autodesk, where Alias Product Manager Phil Botley will be discusing the new Alias 2024 release.
Flashback: sequential turn signals
In 1964, Ford introduced a redesigned model of its personal luxury car, the Thunderbird. It featured a new, sharper, more raptor-like design, more power with a massive 392 cubic inch V8 and a host of new luxury features, including an all-new interior.
Car design goes (sage) green
Sage green has become a popular colour palette for new cars, both production and concept
Flashback: the era-defining Cord 810
Karl Smith takes a look at the short-lived yet iconic Cord 810, a symbol of mid-1930s glamour
Will aerodynamics dominate automotive design in future?
Car Design News investigates whether aerodynamics will be the prevailing trend moving forward as EVs seek extra range
Flashback: in-car record players
Car Design News takes a look back at the unlikely trend to integrate turntables in the cockpit
Six trends that will shape the automotive industry’s future
From integrated factory planning to virtual reality, Autodesk highlights six key trends primed to disrupt the automotive industry in the future
In review: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023
From the mightiest pharoah to the lowliest peasant, who doesn’t enjoy the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Car Design News made its annual pilgrimage to the show
IAA Mobility Design Conference Livestream
Designing the Future of Mobility
The Volvo team unpacks the EX90
The team behind Volvo’s flagship EX90 offer their unique perspectives on the design development of the car
Feature: Car Design and Fashion
Fashion has always had an influence on car design and collaborations between the two are nothing new. But when individuals within those industries work together, with equal input and interest, the results can be spectacular. Interior Motives investigates a few recent high-profile examples…
Flashback: 1982 Nissan NRV-II concept interior
Car Design News looks back on the cockpit of the influential 1982 Nissan NRV-II concept
Circularity in car design requires a culture shift
Sustainable car design is finally starting to gain speed but it needs to accelerate faster and more credibly than ever. Jonathan Bell gauges the state of the industry
How is future mobility shaping CMF?
Connected, autonomous, shared and electric vehicles are making a case for new colour and materials to enter the interior
The future is hybrid – but not like you think
Car Design News looks at the emergence of ‘hybrid’ body styles that meet new consumer demands, powertrains and safety requirements
Watch: How will CMF shape an electric future?
Watch this premier livestream, in partnership with Ultrafabrics, where our panel will explore new ways to reshape the exterior and interior of cars.
Heritage mining: car brands dig back into the past
As the industry charges into the future, an appetite for classic aesthetics remains. But is it lazy to draw inspiration from old icons – or with new brands coming out of the woodwork, should retro design be celebrated?
Artificial intelligence and the car designer of the future
CDN’s Karl Smith asks if artificial intelligence is the existential threat to car design we think it is
Watch: Adobe Substance 3D: Create, Iterate, and Visualize Car Design Concepts
Watch this webinar, in partnership with Adobe where they discuss how Adobe Substance 3D apps help transportation designers with their creative workflows and enhance collaboration with digital design reviews.
CDN’s best bits of 2022
The CDN team take a look back at the standout launches and moments in car design from 2022
New research explores car design working practices
A Konzepthaus report explores how car designers at various levels and locations are adapting to the new way of working
How important is smell in car design?
Car Design News chats to design firm Full Fathom about multisensory design
Inside Tesla: a retrospective at the Petersen museum
LA’s famous Petersen Museum has a hot new exhibit that documents Tesla’s brand milestones
How auto and architecture crossover in the ‘Nth Space’
CDN chats to BMW Designworks and Gensler Architects to discuss the parallels between buildings and vehicles
World exclusive: Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan global design boss
Nissan design boss Alfonso Albaisa speaks to Car Design News during a tour of the carmaker’s European design studio
How is AI influencing car design?
Car Design News learns how artificial intelligence (AI) could push the boundaries of automotive design
How batteries will shape car design
Electric skateboards are an interim step to battery-chassis-body integration and the implications for car designers will be enormous. New packaging designs are possible and old ones will be renewed. Car Design News’ Karl Smith investigates the near future
Watch: Is the future of automotive design in software?
This CDN livestream featured speakers from Volvo, Bugatti Rimac, TomTom and The Qt Company. We discuss how automotive designers are using connected technologies in informing design decisions.
Studio tour: Mahindra Advanced Design Europe
Car Design News gets a private tour of Mahindra’s brand-new design studio and previews its upcoming electric SUVs
Rumpler Tropfenwagen – the first streamliner
Car Design News’ Karl Smith investigates the Rumpler Tropfenwagen, an innovative pre-war car that inspired new approaches to aerodynamics
Watch: What’s next for the sports car?
Watch this livestream where we explore the future of the sportscar through the lens of styling, technology, lighting, UX and sustainability
Metasketching: an interview with Mike Jelinek
Michel Jelinek is an artist, designer, and researcher practicing in Czechia near Prague. He has a strong automotive design background having worked with Škoda, Volkswagen, PSA, and General Motors Europe. Jelinek spoke to Car Design News about advancing the next generation of design tools via his work at Wacom
Top Ten Pininfarina aero designs
As Pininfarina celebrates 50 years of its famous wind tunnel Car Design News highlights ten of its best designs shaped by aero tech
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