bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Great articles on this from The Drive

"Mercedes Design Boss Says Three-Box Sedans Look Like '*****' as EVs"
https://www.thedrive.com/news/42355/...es-design-boss

"I will not drive the blob"
https://www.thedrive.com/news/42303/...drive-the-blob

Hameed

Still love the blob? 🙂

Motorola

The Chinese market loves the blob, and so these cars were designed to fit their tastes. That's what Thomas from Autogefuel said, and he spoke with Mercedes engineers/designers at the Munich event where all these recent EV's were unveiled.

As for why the Chinese market love this shape, I assume it has to do with the better packaging that allows for more interior space- very important for a chauffeur-centric market like China's. They couldn't care less if it looked like a FWD econobox so long as they can stretch their legs all the way.

swajames

Good design is good design. Whether we're talking ICE, EV or whatever, there is always going to be some tension between the aesthetics, form, function, cooling, space efficiency, drag coefficient and more. There will always be compromises that need to be made and there will always be opportunities to do something different and better. I don't know this is about ICE vs EV as much as it is about figuring out which manufacturers have the designers and engineers that can work together most effectively to deliver something truly interesting with fewer compromises while still doing something bold and different.

mmarshall

IMO, an almost completely redundant statement. Thanks mostly to Mercedes itself and the CLS, VW's CC, and Ford's original Taurus, which started the trend in modern times, there's probably no such thing as a true three-box sedan any more. Today's "sedans" are, in effect, four-door coupes, with Humpback-Whale rooflines, Jelly-Bean fenders, teeny trunk-lids, and, often, rear-seat headroom for midgets.

TangoRed

At least in the near term I think this will further solidify SUVs as the form factor of choice. The Tesla Model X, BMW iX, and Mercedes EQS SUV are still blobs but its somehow less offensive in SUV form. Solid state batteries will hopefully return some flexibility to car styling in the not too distant future.

EZZ

Its not he batteries that are causing the "blob" design theme...its the aero and the pursuit of minimum coefficient of drag. The EQS looks the way it does because that was the need to get to such a low cD. Of course the Model S looks great and has similar cD to the EQS so you can look good and have low cD (same with Taycan and the gorgeous Etron GT). I think all crossovers are ugly so looks would be the last criteria on my purchase decision. Things like performance, creature comforts, reliability would be the decision factors. That new iX from BMW is sinfully ugly but will sell a ton because a lot of people don't seem to care about crossover looks.

TangoRed

And they're obsessed with aero right now because they're trying to impress with at least 300+ mi of range, preferably 400+. With solid state batteries being both lighter and more energy dense, aero will not be as much of a first and foremost concern as those range targets will be more easily met.

I'll leave your crossover comments aside, I think there's plenty of great looking crossovers.

EZZ

Solid state won't be widely used until later in the decade so everything will be a big blob until then . Looks are subjective so I understand your point on crossovers and how a vehicle looks may be important to some but not to others. Note that as infrastructure rolls out widely, range may actually decrease or remain the same. Why carry a 500 mile battery when a 300 mile battery (much cheaper) will suffice but be able to charge in 10 min. I think we are in for a long period of that blob look.

TangoRed

Totally agree. When I said "not too distant" I definitely meant end of decade haha. You raise a good point on fast charging vs. range. Hyundai mentioned that charging quickly was their main focus for the Ioniq5 rather than range.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

ha, yes. as one of the articles points out, new drivetrain (EV) drives and enables new design (pretty obvious). doing ICE designs with an EV drivetrain makes no sense. They will evolve but the packaging and aero advantages are clear. i know others, perhaps yourself, will say "hey, the model S looks normal and it's very aerodynamic"... and i will say... yeah, it was designed a decade ago and had to not be too radical to sell, and they obviously wanted a more traditional design and it was only tesla's second model ever. Mercedes for example can take more risks because they have all their other vehicles still available and they're not a startup.

Hameed

But the S looks beautiful, unlike the EQS. So does the Taycan and E- Tron GT.

Does that mean Porsche/Audi didn't want to take a risk by not creating a blob? Or did they deliberately design beautiful cars?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

9000lb hummer ev says hold my beer.

AMIRZA786

Ioniq 5 range will be around 300 miles, which is very good IMO. Our current 2020 Ioniq EV gets around 170 miles...150 on a hot day with AC blasting. I'm looking forward to the F-150 Lightning next year which is rated at 300 miles with a 1,400 lbs payload. I would be able to easily do a trip to SoCal with one 30 minute stop. Traveling with my ICE cars, we usually do a 30 min to an hour stop for bathroom/gas/lunch anyway

EZZ

That battery must be HUGE. Crazy thing to see a 9000 lb SUV/Truck have that level of speed too.