CDE 2024: a motor show “without the waste”

Without looking too deeply at the present state of the motorshow, there is clearly still an appetite for in-person gatherings. Car Design Event, now in its second edition, returned to the Munich Drivers’ Club this week with the aim of bringing designers, journalists, students and enthusiasts together in a setting that befits a focus on car design.

Put together by design enthusiasts Jens Meiners and Des Sellmeijer, the programme aimed to avoid death by PowerPoint with a walking tour of production and concept cars (both new and old) and, a night earlier, the European reveal of the new Kia K5 SUV. CDN also had the opportunity to host a panel discussion alongside designers and students from Munich university, which evolved into a back-and-forth around the reality of working with – and learning to use – AI in the design process. More on that to come.

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Set not in a warehouse or conference hall but in a members’ club for wealthy car collectors and driving enthusiasts, it does indeed feel a little different to the usual auto show. It is a much smaller venue and naturally more intimate, with the added bonus that everyone on site is involved in design in some way.

Robin Page was on hand to discuss the evolution of Bentley design, with naturally gravitated toward the introduction of electric powertrains. Speaking to Car Design News, he explained that there is a tricky balancing act when it comes to the proportions, which – technically – are no longer influenced by a large engine up front.

“If you look at electrification, the focus tends to be on the wheelbase, so we are playing around with that proportion of wheelbase but we can’t resist the short front overhangs, the long rear overhangs to get that kind of premium look. It is developing, but it is not going to be a step change where we forget about everything we’ve done now we’re doing EVs, it’s more about capturing the proportions and elegance of those heritage cars in a modern way.”

Also taking the stage was Pininfarina’s CCO Felix Kilbertus, who…