All articles by Nick Hull – Page 4
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Design Development: Saab 9-3
Although hatchbacks have traditionally been very popular in the UK and France, that trend seems to be waning, with buyers increasingly preferring lifestyle wagons for practicality and sedans for image. With the new 9-3's aims of being a more upmarket, sporty and dynamic car than its predecessor, the choice came ...
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Design Development: BMW 3 Series
"Larger, more powerful, more rear seat space" - it seems this could be the headline for every new 3 Series introduced since the first 320 model replaced the much-loved 2002 Series back in 1975. BMW's entry car has always got a little larger each time and now, in terms of ...
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Design Development: BMW 3 Series
"Larger, more powerful, more rear seat space" - it seems this could be the headline for every new 3 Series introduced since the first 320 model replaced the much-loved 2002 Series back in 1975. BMW's entry car has always got a little larger each time and now, in terms of ...
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Design Review: Porsche Boxster
Key changes centre around the simplified design language that eliminates the use of concave 'flips' that were a particular characteristic of the original Boxster concept of 1993. The biggest difference is at the front, where the headlamps are now egg-shaped and the hood features a totally enclosed shutline treatment not ...
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Design Review: Ford Iosis MAX concept
The MAX is the third Iosis concept we've seen from Ford in recent years. Each one has previewed a major production car from Ford of Europe (much in the same way as the Mercedes ‘Vision' series), so we've learned to regard them as important signifiers of where Martin Smith's team ...
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Design Development: Ford S-Max and Galaxy
When planning started for the new Galaxy project around four years ago, Ford had a dilemma. The existing Galaxy was co-developed with VW Group and produced in the Autoeuropa plant in Setubal, Portugal but that alliance was since terminated and Ford needed to develop a second model off the same ...
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Trends: Instrument Binnacles
Have you noticed how instrument dials seem to be bursting out of their surroundings? Looking around the recent Paris Motor Show we noticed a number of cars that exhibit this trend. When opening the door, one sees side of the binnacle hood peeled away to reveal the edges of the ...
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Trends: Lighting on a different plane
The recent Honda Open Study concept develops the idea a stage further. Here, we see the exaggerated lamp bulge reincorporated as part of the painted body surface, to add a new twist to the idea.
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Trends: Lighting on a different plane
The corners of a car represent a difficult area for designers: a number of complex surfaces have to be resolved and the tendency over the last 20 years has been for cars to have more rounded plan shapes, with the headlamps occupying the entire front corner of the car. One ...
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Design Review: Seat Altea
Other neat touches on the Altea include the hidden clap-hands wipers and a second, hollow parcel tray in the trunk. The interior also keeps the spirit of the original, with a high but sporty seating position and centre console shape that apes the grille outline in a similar fashion to ...
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Design Review: Seat Altea
The new SEAT Altea acts as a classic case study in how a new production model can be successfully developed from a concept series, to give it an extra 'edge' in the public's perception. The final production car, premiered at Geneva, looks unchanged from the Altea Prototipo concept shown at ...
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Design Review: Lexus IS
The old IS200/300 was a simple concept, clearly targeted at the BMW 3 Series: a sporty, compact executive car with a straight-six engine and RWD, available in sedan or sporty wagon format. This new model is a much more complex product, in some ways more mainstream, in others more sophisticated and focused. The new design direction is meant to express three fundamental elements of the Lexus ‘L-Fin
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Beijing Motor Show 2008 Trends and Overview
Taillamps that adopt a teardrop shape, wrapping well around to the side are another obvious theme; typified by the new VW Lavida. This graphic is very popular: the GAIG 4-Door Coupé, Buick Invicta concepts and BAIC 800 all display this motif. But interestingly, a visually-strong rocker/sill impression - highlighted by ...
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Beijing Motor Show 2008 Trends and Overview
China is a market where the four-door sedan rules. Other bodystyles such as coupes, sports cars or wagons are surprisingly rare in what is now the second-largest car market in the world (now ahead of Japan and set to edge out the US in the top spot by 2020). You'll ...
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Donato Coco on Lotus' new design direction
If the 2010 Paris motor show is remembered for one thing, it will be the 'reinvention' of Lotus Cars.
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Design Development: Jaguar XJ
Over the next 12 months the design was constantly reworked and optimized to be fully feasible, particularly regarding the new aluminum body pressing technology. The body construction of the new XJ is a riveted and bonded aluminum monocoque — a totally different method from Audi and Honda's extruded space frame ...
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Design Development: Jaguar XJ
Many designers regard the original 1968 Jaguar XJ6 as one of the classic sedan shapes of the last forty years, so it's maybe not surprising that many of the styling cues on this latest XJ redesign appear to echo those of the original car. However, this was not part of ...
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Design Development: Volvo C30
A key part of the design, which emphasises the shooting wagon concept, is the rear side window that is much longer and narrower than on premium hatchbacks such as the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Mercedes C-Class Sports Coupe or Mini. Plus the glass hatch that extends way below the ...
