AutoCritical

The final installment of the 4 part series exploring the role of aesthetics in automotive design.

When driving, there might be a link between the rhythmic swerving a car creates to the enjoyment of similar repetitive swerving movement as children, playing on the swings or “see-saw” on a parent’s leg, as a returning back to ones “childhood”. With new technology in the concept cars of today opens a small window of the possibilities of the future in car design of having our augmented experiences of traveling. Together we experience and share in the emotion of the exhilaration and speed of driving, the annoyance of banked up traffic, the traveling journey together to a holiday destination and the new discoveries along the way.

Feelings when driving: Mercedes F400 Carving - Sony/Toyota joint called “Pod” – It has a range of colours that try and express the monitored emotion of the driver.

The general appearance of a car and its initial response to the aesthetic qualities of a car assists in the decision making process a person makes to whether they should stay or go. The type of person, whether they are aware of it or not, determines if further ‘pursuit’ in learning more about the aesthetic of a vehicle. Today’s audience is used to seeing the cars that have a cabin, a bonnet, with front and rear end graphics. Cars like this tend to be initially more widely accepted. It is most likely, as in the Jeep Wrangler/Military comparison, that people can associate with these shapes to identify certain key aesthetic features.

Bringing it back (to Part 3) to the horse, or nowadays more commonly, ‘man’s best friend’, the dog, they have similar representative feature elements that allow possible ‘aesthetically pleasing’ features. For example, the eyes and nose are like the lights and front grille where they may sit on the corners, are round or long, or closer to the middle of the grille. Openings and vents on the lower front end are like the mouth that can, with the shape of the bonnet shut line, determine if the car looks ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ (smile/frown). These sit on the end of the bonnet which represents the snout whether long or short. Its body shapes like animals can range from round or skinny (convex/concave) surfaces that are perhaps similar to something more ‘steady’ or ‘agile’.

BMW 5 Series (left) and the Aston Martin DB9 (right). The BMW has a ‘smiling’ bonnet that is balanced out with a ‘frowning’ lower grille - Opposite to the DB9 – but both of these cars have a ‘restrained/refined’ aggression quality about them.

The combination of all these elements allows the viewer to read the ‘emotion’ of the car. Although more obvious to some than others, a cars’ emotion can be read from aggressive (Such as the Australian Ford GT), satisfaction (Bentley Continental GT), a restrained aggression, to happy (VW Beetle) or a combination of either. Behind anyone’s preference to a particular car, there is a similar emotive element that is dominant. It is the yearning for power and control. It is this desire that ties in all the aesthetic values of the car from how the car looks visually, how it works functionally, and what it can do, mechanically.

Driving a car is a process where we directly control the vehicle, where it becomes an extension of our being. For some they serve a functional purpose or even a representative symbol, and to others they fulfill a desired fantasy that cars continually attract and intrigue through the use of showcase concepts. The special role that aesthetics plays in automotive design is so vast it makes one wonder if designers will ever ‘run out’ of ideas.

References:
Bayley, S. “Sex, drink and fast cars”, Pantheon, (1986)
Lewin, T. “How to: Design cars like a Pro”, Motor Books International, (2003)
Bonnett, R. “Design and Emotion”, Taylor & Francis, (2003)

…continuing a series on exploring the role of aesthetics in automotive design

BMW shifted its target audience of its large luxury car market . Traditionally BMW’s were known, especially for their larger cars – the BMW 7 Series, to have a very conservative aesthetic which featured precision engineering. In this shift, BMW has undertaken a styling change to gain recognition no just for its engineering, but for its aesthetic qualities to appeal to a younger ‘individualistic’ audience. A reaction to this new direction has resulted in a backlash from many older BMW fans.

These were the conservative BMWs that were being made before the year 2000

“It moves away from everyone else and differentiates the brand – It makes a statement. The more you can get the consumer to be one with that vehicle and really link their emotion to that vehicle, which will translate into a situation where the consumer will say, `I want it.’  – What Chris Bangle (BMW Designer) is doing is reading that into the marketplace, and, rightly so, developing vehicles that go after individual emotions“  – Chris Cedergren (BMW’s Market Researcher)

Sometimes the senses and emotional response to the aesthetics of a car is so strong and/or unique that people develop special relationships with their vehicles. No doubt many may have a relationship with their car as a great deal of expense is invested in them, and although such relationships are also established with other products, there is something more about a relationship with the car.

After 2000 (2001 to be specific) - BMW revealed these two concept cars, the X-Coupe and the GINA - Followed up with the production of the BMW Z4

Click here for the design review on the 2009/2010 BMW Z4 Roadster

To make a possible comparison, another non-human relationship is those with animals/pets. Similarly with pets, we care for and clean them, we fuel/feed them, we are around them a lot and sometimes, we talk to them. This voluntary adoption of a machine and the responsibility that is involved probably adds to this as there is much time invested, just as a pet or a child. Maybe such a basis for this relationship can be drawn back to the time where people had horses  as their personal means of transport where as mentioned earlier with the pets; we also took care of them, as they were a symbol of freedom that we could travel further than we could with our own two feet. ‘Four feet are better than two’ – Four legs, four wheels…

Cars are almost alive; they need air to breathe. In a stronger manner of description, our relationship with our car could be seen by some as symbiotic where it will take us to places we want and need to go, and we will maintain it and care for it. From its rods and cylinders pumping inside the engine creating a beat, to the resulting purring of the engine, all of these elements have hints of something that is alive in nature.

References:
HAKIM, D. “BMW Design Chief Sees Art on Wheels; Some Just See Ugly”, (2002)
Lewin, T. “How to: Design cars like a Pro”, Motor Books International, (2003)