Features
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
The Metro: An Unexpected Journey
A stellar online exhibition on the Metro by the British Motor Museum prompted an unexpected A-series engine-powered trip down memory lane for CDN editor James McLachlan
Concept Cars: All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Show?
The star turns of the motor show, concept cars provoke, excite and inspire. But what happens to the special guests when the party is cancelled?
How Mazda matched colour with design
Mazda has developed paint coatings and application technology to fit with its vehicle design philosophy to both enhance the aesthetics and be environmentally sustainable
CDN Podcast Episode 3 featuring Rebecca Heath, lead colour and materials designer at Envisage Group
Rebecca Heath, lead colour and materials designer at Envisage Group, explains how different approaches to sustainability could play a role in the car of the future
Concept Car of the Month: Gran Turismo Red Bull X1 (2010-19)
Looking back to when a Formula 1 team and a video game studio collaborated to design the ultimate racing car
Seating Trends: Increased integration and biometric systems
Biometric technology is providing another layer to safety and infotainment, and is another challenge for car design
Seating Trends: Driver centred solutions
Designing the cabin to allow the driver to sit in the centre and the development of lighter, more sustainable seats
Seating Trends Spotlight
Car designers have been exploring different seating configurations in expectation of self-driving technology
Design Essay: how adversity shapes cars
The changing face of car design through difficult times is in fact a prime example of humanity’s remarkable adaptability and resilience – not to mention our collective mood.
Are ’quadri-mobiles' the future of small cars?
Over the last ten to fifteen years, a combination of more rigorous regulatory demands and increasing customer expectations conspired to create the finest superminis ever made. One look at cars like the Volkswagen Up or the latest Hyundai i10 is enough to realise that buyers of entry-level models never had it so good
Design Essay: Surprise & delight, the importance of detail design
What makes people fall in love with cars? Aidan Walsh argues that small details in design cement long-term love affairs with vehicles
