Designer Interviews: The Designers Pt4 – Mamoru Ishii, Subaru | Article

"Enjoyment and peace of mind" is Subaru's value proposition to our customers. In the Subaru design team, we try to develop a design in which its value will be understood at first glance in order to enhance Subaru's brand power.

Our designers take a pragmatic approach to the creation of our purposeful vehicles, rather than a purely stylistic one. In 2014, we defined our design philosophy as "Dynamic and Solid" and have expressed that vision through the shapes seen in our concept cars Viziv 2 – which was presented at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show – and the Viziv GT which was released in autumn 2014 for use in the new video game Gran Turismo 6.

Also in 2014, our production car line-up was refreshed. We released the Levorg sports wagon for the Japanese market (but also debuted at 2015's Geneva show), plus new versions of the well-known Legacy, Outback and WRX STI for global markets.

Subaru's sales soared in 2014, especially in the US where we broke the half-million sales mark for the first time, up from 336,000 in 2012. Global vehicle production reached 888,812 – our third consecutive year of growth and almost 10 percent up on 2013. We also won two awards at the Japan Car Design Awards 2014 from Japanese car design magazine Car Styling. The Viziv 2 concept car won the Golden Marker Trophy Concept Car award and the new Legacy and Outback picked up the Golden Clay Trophy for excellence in surface modeling quality. It was a great honor for Subaru Design and an amazing year for us all round.

“The design of brands is neither something superficial nor fluctuating now. The time has come to design a car by considering and embodying each manufacturer’s philosophy”

We view design from a global perspective and have established design studios across the globe, from advanced design outposts in Michigan (USA), Frankfurt (Germany) and Tokyo (Japan) to our design headquarters in Ota in the Gunma prefecture a little way north of Tokyo.

In 2013, our Tokyo design studio was rebuilt with an all-new building that houses five full-size model plates, and upstairs design facilities with views of the model floor below. Also officially opened in August 2014 was Subaru's brand-new global headquarters building in Ebisu, Tokyo. It's a good time and space to be a Subaru car designer.

The economy recovered in 2014 and in the wider car design world I believe every automobile company started releasing designs with strengthened brand characteristics. I think this is because customers' expectations about brands are becoming a greater motivating factor in the purchase of their next vehicle. Within the car manufacturing industry, the tendency to focus on the design of a vehicle has become a necessity and will continue to strengthen in the future. The design of brands is neither something superficial nor fluctuating now. The time has come to design a car by considering and embodying each manufacturer's philosophy.

In 2015 we will continue to pursue the essence of Subaru's design philosophy and work on design development activities with determination. I think the following three elements are important in expressing the essence of our design philosophy "Dynamic and Solid":

First, there's a meaning in the vehicle's function – it must be attractive as a tool to use and wield. Second, its shape must be attractive in order to appeal to a customer's heart. And finally there must be a specifically Subaru design element that creates an attraction that helps build trust and a relationship between Subaru and its customers.

Looking at the broader car design industry in 2015, it appears to be heading towards a more global and module-based approach. This will make each manufacturers' capability less different and so in time the design element will become the most important part, instead of just a superficial design wrapped around various technologies. To achieve such design, car designers will be required to consider the knowledge and technologies that each manufacturer has developed, find the right direction for their brand to follow into the future, and develop designs that will enhance their brand with determination.

At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Car Design News launched its second Car Design Review yearbook, featuring the production and concept cars our judges voted as best designs of the past year.

As last year, we'll be publishing world-exclusive interviews with the 13 design judges who decided on the recipient of each of our awards, featuring their individual votes, their views on the year just gone plus their hopes for the year ahead.

If you're interested in buying a copy of the yearbook this interview appears in, alongside trend reports, bespoke car design infographics and a special feature on our Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Car Design Review 2 can be purchased here.