Why Can't America Design Pretty Cars Anymore?
I'm somewhat of a car fanatic. Not in the traditional sense of a petrol head who gets their jollies at the size of an engine, but more someone who appreciates the aesthetic of a good looking motor. I like my cars beautiful first and foremost.
Looking back at the history of American car design yields some true classics. 60's Cadillacs, the Ford Mustang or Dodge Challenger are all beautiful motors.
Fast-forward to the present day and it is a different story. The US automotive industry has spent the past two decades focusing its efforts on the SUV, a class of car that can very rarely look good. During this time, the US, it seems, has forgotten how to design a good looking Saloon (Sedan) or Coupé. In this respect it has lost considerable ground to its European and Japanese counterparts, who continue to excel in automotive design. What I want to know is why, and when will things change?
Villains of the Piece
Let's look at some examples. Mid-market high volume production models are the number one offender when it comes to outright ugliness. Take for instance the Ford Taurus, a car that is not only ugly, but is so painfully dull it makes me fall asleep looking at it.
The Chrysler Sebring is another poor effort. This car somehow manages to look uncomfortable with its own form, and sits awkwardly on the eye. And the Chevrolet Impala is an exercise in mediocrity that appears to take cues from the lifeless bricks that were prevalent in 1980's automotive design.
Present American Coupés fare little better. The Infiniti G37 Coupe is not too bad really, but again there's something about it that doesn't quite sit right for me. The styling of the rear lights, for example, looks plain wrong. That aside, you just need to look at the coupés coming out of Europe and Japan to see how far behind US design is. Take the Audi TT, Alfa Romeo Brera, Spider, Nissan 350z or the BMW M3 to name but a few. And this is before we even get to Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley or Jaguar...
Saving Grace
The good news is that it's not all doom and gloom from across the Atlantic. The new Ford Shelby GT500 and Ford Mustang are both stunning vehicles. Interestingly, however, both cars are a modern take on classic designs and are not new designs in their own right. The US industry has to look backwards to find beautiful design, rather than being able to look forwards.
American car design needs to find its way again. The Cadillacs of the 60's, the Challenger, Shelby and Mustang are beautiful because they are uniquely American. They were products of their time and could never have been designed anywhere else. Maybe modern US car design is a reflection of the current environment in the States, but for me it just ain't happening. Especially not when compared to Europe and Japan. Come on Detroit - it's time to raise your game in the design department.
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...is the online home of Simon Kitson, a web designer with a healthy enthusiasm for standards-compliant, accessible design and a penchant for blogging about nothing in particular.
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Andrew
10 October, 2007
Fully agree. I’m a yank and I will only pretty much buy japanese cars. One car though I have noticed, and it’s once again inspired by an older design is the new Pontiac GTO (http://www.skinz.org/cars/pontiac-gto/pontiac-gto-wallpapers-4.jpg). I know that is not the factory design, still a sharp looking car though in the right hands.
Especially the 2006 (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/2006-Pontiac-GTO.jpg).
Images are a bit big so I didn’t embed them :)
Andreas
10 October, 2007
personally I think a car hast to have four wheels so I can get from point a to point b. But from a design point of view I must agree with you in case of the Chrysler Sebring. But the Chevrolet Impala design for example looks great, I think :-D
I also really like cars from dodge, especially the us cars. Designs like the Charger or the Magnum… Those designs which are a kind of… hm… the dictionary told me to use the word brawny :-D
greetings from Germany
kitsimons
11 October, 2007
@Andrew: That Pontiac looks pretty silky. It's got slight Japanese edge to it from that angle (reminds me of the Mitsubishi Evo), but very, very nice. One car I can’t believe I forgot to mention is the Ford GT. Beautiful car, but again inspired by past designs.
@Andreas: I’m with you on the Charger. Brawny is a good word for it :-)
Bryce
12 October, 2007
I have to agree with you on the sad state of American automotive design. Your lucky you don’t live here and have to see the millions of sad excuses for “automotive styling” rolling around on the streets.
However, I need to point out that you can’t use Infiniti as an example. Although I love their design aesthetic, Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury brand and therefore not really an American design.
Unfortunately, I think there’s an underlying problem. That is, the average American just doesn’t care what their car looks like. In most US products design takes a back seat to features. There isn’t any accountability in the American automotive design departments since most people don’t care how the car looks but it better have 15 cup holders and play HD DVDs. This is sad commentary and it would be great to try and fix this public sentiment since this ailment affects all products, advertising, etc and not just cars.
kitsimons
12 October, 2007
@Bryce: Absolutely right about Infiniti/Nissan. I’m assuming that Infiniti models are designed in the US. I know – assumption is the mother of all f**k-ups :-)
It appears to be another of the many problems afflicting “the big 3” US manufacturers. They’ve been complacent for many years, hence the hole they now find themselves in.
Perhaps design is something the American public (very generally speaking) will begin to care about again. Perhaps they already are, and it is a contributing factor to the increased popularity of European/Japanese models?