View Poll Results: Who is to blame for the last few years and ugly and uglier gettng vehicles?
Chris Bangle must be stopped. He actually designs for everyone as a freelance.
2
7.14%
The lead car designer and his/her team of designers
0
0%
The managment approving these designs
10
35.71%
The people buying these designs
1
3.57%
I design cars and they look good, you just don't understand
0
0%
Who cares, sign me up. I want a job where I can legallly smoke crack rocks and destroy car design!!
2
7.14%
Its the gotdamn goats
2
7.14%
These cars actually look good and they are not ugly
0
0%
SUV influence has destroyed car design
1
3.57%
Acuras look like giant Megatron turds. Megatron then looks at his turds and screams "AHHHHHHH"
10
35.71%
Voters: 28. You may not vote on this poll
What on earth happened to good car design?
11-20-08, 10:30 PM
#16
The problem is that most cars have to comply with International Safety Laws and Standards.
You have to have the headlights and taillights at a certain height and distance. You have to have certain windows and doors at certain heights. You have to have certain ground and roof clearances. You have to design front bumpers for pedestrian safety. You have to design rear bumpers for shock absorption. You have to design roofs, doors, and cargo areas that can withstand crush collisions.
Basically, when you fill in the parameters, you get something that looks like a Ford Focus. Then you basically have to modify that Ford Focus to create a unique car...
You have to have the headlights and taillights at a certain height and distance. You have to have certain windows and doors at certain heights. You have to have certain ground and roof clearances. You have to design front bumpers for pedestrian safety. You have to design rear bumpers for shock absorption. You have to design roofs, doors, and cargo areas that can withstand crush collisions.
Basically, when you fill in the parameters, you get something that looks like a Ford Focus. Then you basically have to modify that Ford Focus to create a unique car...
11-21-08, 03:48 AM
#17
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Also, especially for us older guys who got used to more squared-off, conservative designs and simpler-to-use controls, it is difficult for a lot of us to see aero-slick body styling, humpback-whale rooflines, ultra-swept-back headlights, etc..... and ever-increasingly complex, harder-to-use electronics inside as real advances.
Here's my vote for the most beautiful car design on the American road today for less than $100K.
11-21-08, 05:44 AM
#19
in that thread 
As I read thru all this I start to second guess myself. What I mean is maybe my expectations are too high to think that every car I would cross shop was meant to appeal to me. Maybe they don't want my business because they have many other people who will buy it anyway.
What usually snaps me back to reality
is that after reading Car Chat for a few years now the enthusiasts here on CL are correct about trends an awful lot. So I guess its not me,,,, its the designers 
11-21-08, 06:19 AM
#20
Lexus Fanatic
Yes, Thanks. A typo.
Well, I'm not considered young, but I don't have one foot in the grave yet.
And, except for a couple of minor orthopedic problems, I'm in darn good shape for my age.
And opposition to I-Drive controllers is not limited to older people by any means. Yong auto journalists and auto-magazine testers in their 20s and 30s often don't like them either. They, like me, often praise cars with simple, foolproof controls. (Remember, those guys often drive pretty hard and have to watch the road every second).
A typo.
I suspect younger buyers are less frustrated and more satisfied with the design of modern controllers for today's electronics. Sorry if it sounds like I'm calling you and old fart.
And, except for a couple of minor orthopedic problems, I'm in darn good shape for my age.
And opposition to I-Drive controllers is not limited to older people by any means. Yong auto journalists and auto-magazine testers in their 20s and 30s often don't like them either. They, like me, often praise cars with simple, foolproof controls. (Remember, those guys often drive pretty hard and have to watch the road every second).
11-21-08, 08:00 AM
#22
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There are lots of reasons for crap in the showrooms but the overwhelming reason has to be poor management decisions. Nearly all aspects of product design, including aesthetics, reliability, dynamics, and ergonomics are an outcome of how the product planning, design, and engineering teams were managed. Moreover, it is the inspection process that management is responsible for that has a direct impact on the outcome. If you look at how inspections are conducted on product goals, reviews of clay or CAD models, component and assembly life testing, early prototype performance, etc. you can find breakage in many areas.
Can the general public distinguish a good design from a bad design? Often, it seems not. However, a truly remarkable design pushes people’s buttons in unexpected ways, enough to compel them to comment when otherwise they might not. My Audi S5 experience (shared by other S5 and A5 owners) is like that. People come out of the woodwork to comment on how beautiful it is. People who have never spoken to me about cars have done this.
Granted, beautiful design doesn’t just happen by chance. Skill, artistry, and emotion are required. Also required is the ability to communicate with people who don’t have those attributes. The S5/A5 designer, Walter de'Silva, is a master. But we would never have seen this car produced if he was not working with a good management team.
Can the general public distinguish a good design from a bad design? Often, it seems not. However, a truly remarkable design pushes people’s buttons in unexpected ways, enough to compel them to comment when otherwise they might not. My Audi S5 experience (shared by other S5 and A5 owners) is like that. People come out of the woodwork to comment on how beautiful it is. People who have never spoken to me about cars have done this.
Granted, beautiful design doesn’t just happen by chance. Skill, artistry, and emotion are required. Also required is the ability to communicate with people who don’t have those attributes. The S5/A5 designer, Walter de'Silva, is a master. But we would never have seen this car produced if he was not working with a good management team.
11-21-08, 08:17 AM
#23
Lexus Fanatic
The problem is that most cars have to comply with International Safety Laws and Standards.
You have to have the headlights and taillights at a certain height and distance. You have to have certain windows and doors at certain heights. You have to have certain ground and roof clearances. You have to design front bumpers for pedestrian safety. You have to design rear bumpers for shock absorption. You have to design roofs, doors, and cargo areas that can withstand crush collisions.
Basically, when you fill in the parameters, you get something that looks like a Ford Focus. Then you basically have to modify that Ford Focus to create a unique car...
You have to have the headlights and taillights at a certain height and distance. You have to have certain windows and doors at certain heights. You have to have certain ground and roof clearances. You have to design front bumpers for pedestrian safety. You have to design rear bumpers for shock absorption. You have to design roofs, doors, and cargo areas that can withstand crush collisions.
Basically, when you fill in the parameters, you get something that looks like a Ford Focus. Then you basically have to modify that Ford Focus to create a unique car...
11-21-08, 09:09 AM
#24
Lexus Champion
This discussion revolves around personal preferences and is very subjective. There will be those that like certain designs and others that can't stand them.
In todays mass media driven global economy, there is so much more product available that there are bound to be many stinkers. Think about how many manufacturers now exist and the number of different vehicle models. It is no longer just a few companies that put all their time and effort in to just a couple of models. This kind of dilution gives us many choices....but maybe not many good ones...lol.
There are many good designs out there, but I would suggest that design (the sexiness quotient let's call it) is not as great a priority. Functionality, technology and safety have become the driving force. Is that a positive or a negative? That is up to the individual to decide
In todays mass media driven global economy, there is so much more product available that there are bound to be many stinkers. Think about how many manufacturers now exist and the number of different vehicle models. It is no longer just a few companies that put all their time and effort in to just a couple of models. This kind of dilution gives us many choices....but maybe not many good ones...lol.
There are many good designs out there, but I would suggest that design (the sexiness quotient let's call it) is not as great a priority. Functionality, technology and safety have become the driving force. Is that a positive or a negative? That is up to the individual to decide
11-21-08, 09:30 AM
#25
Pole Position
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Okay, this has gone far enough. Are you trying to tell me there are only a handful of affordable vehicles that are attractive? Otherwise I have to spend over 100k on an Aston Martin?
WTF is going on with car design? The thing is, who do you blame?
1. The car designers on crack?
2. The design team going with the lead designer?
3. The management approving these montrocities?
4. The blind as a bat people buying these vehicles that scare children?
I am sure people will post pics. Lexus now seems to want a piece of this ugly stick, which has beat the brains out of everyone around.
What is SO HARD about good proportions, classy styling and in general, making a "good looking" vehicle?
POLL TIME /
WTF is going on with car design? The thing is, who do you blame?
1. The car designers on crack?
2. The design team going with the lead designer?
3. The management approving these montrocities?
4. The blind as a bat people buying these vehicles that scare children?
I am sure people will post pics. Lexus now seems to want a piece of this ugly stick, which has beat the brains out of everyone around.
What is SO HARD about good proportions, classy styling and in general, making a "good looking" vehicle?
POLL TIME /
Look at the Audi "A" line- where is the distiction anymore? Acura- RL is SMALLER with less power than RL? Yaris- strong evidence of designer crack abuse (also, please see entire Acura line-up= poppy fields).
When I first saw "Minority Report" and saw TC driving that Lexus, I was like WTF??? Never in a million years... turns out it's only taken 6 for that "inspiration" to be taken hold in multiple designs... can't more specific, but they were all the same, nothing stood out...
11-21-08, 10:27 AM
#27
Pole Position
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Lake Country, WI
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11-21-08, 08:13 PM
#29
Lexus Test Driver
