Automotive fashion or how car design developed. Automotive design: features, history and interesting facts History of the development of car exterior design

I don't know if you notice how much auto design is getting more and more exuberant. I'm not against weird and wild design in general. But it seems to me that in recent years the designers clearly don’t know what to do. As a result, every year cars with very strange and extraordinary designs appear on the market. Maybe it's time to stop and return to simpler solutions, rather than experimenting with futuristic auto design?

If you look at all the cars that have been produced since 2000, you will immediately notice how dramatically the design of the entire auto industry has changed every year.

Firstly, all cars have increased significantly in size. Secondly, from the 2000s to today, car design has become intemperate.

Yes, around the mid-2000s, many car companies tried to produce cars with clean, rational geometric designs. By the way, this simple style of cars was especially noticeable in the works of designer Jay Mays, who developed many Volkswagen cars, produced from 1998 to 2005. But then modern car design began to progress towards a futuristic future.

Since then, the auto design of most cars has become more sculptural, and car bodies have constantly grown in size. Also, since those years, there has been a constant increase in the size of the front optics and ventilation holes in the exterior (real or simulated).

In particular, chrome has recently become fashionable again, and it is becoming more and more common in modern cars.

But most importantly, quite recently, designers have taken up the fashion of coming up with strange body design textures, with a combination of torn lines.

Look at these cars that are 15 years apart. Here are cars from the 2000s and 2015 (2000 and 2015 BMW 4-Series, as well as two generation Nissan Teana).

Pay attention to the design of cars from the 2000s. It is fresh, clean and uncluttered, which cannot be said about the appearance of new cars, the design of which has become full of wavy surfaces (it often seems to me on the road that many new cars have damage on the body, but when carefully examining the body parts, I understand that from - due to the uneven surfaces of the exterior elements, light glares, which leads to optical illusion).

Also notice how the headlights have grown modern cars. One of the things that immediately catches your eye is how modern cars have grown in size. And this happened with models from any automaker. All cars, since the 2000s, have grown and stretched in size. But of course, many modern cars have large radiator grilles, many air intakes and much more.

You can also see the progression of auto design since the 2000s with the example Lexus car. Notice how the designers of the Japanese brand have experimented with their products since 2000. You will see how everyone new car got more and more angles and different lines and curves.

By the way, perhaps someone will think that I am trying to condemn modern design. No, I'm actually just pointing out what's going on in the modern era of auto design. It is worth noting that not all companies have yet mastered current trends in auto design. In fact, each automaker is experimenting in its own way.

For example, Toyota has been experimenting very boldly in recent years, creating new models with an extraordinary futuristic appearance. Do you know why modern Toyota cars get this design?

The thing is that the designers of this company began to mix the Baroque style with lines and textures that are found in the wild. As a result, we got not quite ordinary cars. Although it is worth recognizing that each company, to one degree or another, present moment is going exactly in this direction.

Take a look at the latest-generation Toyta Prius and you'll see what the designers were thinking when they created the look of this controversial car.

The front end of the hybrid car seems especially strange. For example, the new Prius has 8 main headlights for road lighting (4+4). Plus, in addition, the car received another 18 LED lamps on the bumper (9 on each side). And that's not all. The designers also decided that fog lights This is not a relic of the past yet.

Okay, if all this optics were placed on regular bumpers and the body. But new model Toyota Prius received a very complex configuration of front bumpers and radiator grille. As a result, it seems to me personally that the exterior design turned out to be too heavy, the elements of which, in principle, overload the appearance of the car. Therefore, it is not easy to understand the intention of Toyota auto designers. Especially if you try to unravel the mystery of the designers who decided to equip the front of the Prius with design elements with different textured surfaces and different color schemes.

It seems to me (and many other brands) that they have overdone it in recent years. Although of course there is no arguing about tastes. But, nevertheless, this is not only my opinion. For example, many people say that modern car design has become somehow incomprehensible. Including well-known and authoritative auto experts, known throughout the world.

By the way, such bold experiments that all automakers are currently conducting are not the first time in the history of the auto industry. For example, something similar has already been observed with auto design American cars in the 1950s.

Check out the two cars below. Yes, both cars, of course, are made in completely different styles and are separated by eras.

But these cars actually have something in common. You know what?

Their car design is very loud, provocative and a little crazy. By the way, if you don't notice this on a car from the 1950s, it's quite natural. After all, you did not live in that era. But it's worth noting that for the 1950s, American car design was indeed very exuberant and provocative. And what's the result? As you know, cars of those years with exuberant design are a thing of the past.

The thing is that car buyers of those years were simply tired of the provocative design. And this, by the way, happened when the auto designers of American cars did not figure out how to further improve it.

We are now seeing approximately the same trend in the car market. It is quite possible that very soon the fashion for permanent global external change new cars, as well as auto and aircraft designers will understand that too exuberant a design cannot be constantly improved.

Most likely, in the next 20-30 years we will see design become much more modest. True, this will have to wait until car designers calm down, who are still happily experimenting, creating new era in auto design.

Yes, of course, modern design is based on high-tech and there is no escape from this. Every year we will see all the fresh and unoriginal ideas in the exterior of new cars. But nevertheless, I believe that automobile companies sooner or later the creative dreams of designers and constructors will have to be curbed a little.

At one of the shows of promising samples at AZLK, the then Minister of Automotive Industry Vladimir Polyakov, according to eyewitnesses, said: “Where have you seen such a car? There are no such cars!”

The designers deciphered the minister’s idea: it is necessary to make cars according to foreign models, and not look for less traveled paths. In the USSR, as a rule, this is exactly what they did. But not always.

To make a fairy tale come true

It is no secret that all our cars created before the Great Patriotic War were, to one degree or another, copied from Western ones. Or rather, almost everything. In 1938, a young ZIS artist (the term “designer” appeared about thirty years later) Valentin Rostkov painted a very unusual and even avant-garde two-door roadster, which is commonly called the ZIS-Sport. The appearance of the car - in particular, the line of massive wings - followed the then American fashion, but in the design of the front end with built-in headlights and an aerodynamic radiator grille, Rostkov not only did not copy anything, but was even ahead of world trends.

It is not difficult to verify this; just compare it with thoroughbred sports models of those years. But Rostkov’s creation was not intended for mass production, and it is not a fact that then our industry would have mastered such a body.

This is a very important touch to the portrait of Soviet design. After all, artistic design, as this craft was once called, also implies technological development - bringing the product from a sketch to a commercial sample. Of course, it’s impossible without a flight of fancy, but we’re still talking about commercial vehicles, and not about exhibition concept cars.

As for fantasy, one of the first to dare to fly it in our country was an artist, engineer and famous popularizer of the car. In the 1930s, he, like many foreign engineers and stylists, became interested in the rear-engine layout, inspired by the avant-garde Czech Tatra. It was Dolmatovsky’s authority that influenced the fact that for two decades the creation of cars of all classes with a rear engine became one of the main directions for our designers.

Futuristic sketches resulted in an avant-garde, but already popular, really very advanced for 1951. (The Italians launched something similar - the Fiat Multipla minivan - into production only in 1956, but it did not gain much commercial success.)

It's one thing to admire unusual cars, and quite another to buy and operate them. And it was completely unthinkable to put something similar to the conceptual NAMI-013 on the assembly line in the USSR. It is difficult to imagine a person who, of his own free will, would move from Pobeda or ZIM to such an unusual, and even structurally dubious, car.

Artists, of course, longed to create, that’s why they are artists. But the leadership of the industry, as a rule, came with an instruction: to copy Western models. And there was a certain reason for this, since foreign designers had much more experience not only in creating new models, but also in bringing them to series.

However, we must pay tribute to ours: they did not just copy, but cleverly reworked foreign styles, adapting them to our conditions, including production capabilities, and creating machines that were not the most advanced, but quite appropriate for the time. The most striking examples are and. And here are the ZIS products of the 1950s - an outright copying of American models.

But the artists are not to blame! Those were the cars that people wanted to drive. It is difficult to imagine that the leaders of the USSR would prefer an avant-garde minivan, drawn, say, by the talented artist Eduard Molchanov: a somewhat strange combination of a carriage body and huge windows with whimsical curves, characteristic of the American style at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s. But something similar appeared in metal.

A start to life

The heyday of Soviet design occurred in the era of Khrushchev's economic councils and the relative independence of industrial enterprises. A Special Art and Design Bureau (SKhKB) was created under the Moscow City Economic Council, which worked on orders from MZMA, ZIL, and the Serpukhov Motorcycle Plant. There was a romantic upsurge in the factories themselves, as well as in NAMI.

Two characteristic works of the early 1960s, brought to a small series, albeit, are Moscow and Ukrainian Start. It is very interesting to compare them, since the machines, at first glance, have a lot in common, but there are also very significant, and in fact, fundamental differences.

Both cars had a carriage layout. Both did not escape the influence of American styling (many European companies were also influenced by it in those years): extensive radiator grilles, visors over four headlights.

But there are also differences. ZIL‑118 Yunost, on which a group worked under the leadership of one of the best Soviet designers Eric Szabo, in the process of fine-tuning it to a prototype, became much calmer in lines and decor than in the first sketches. But Start made a strange impression. Original? Yes! Memorable? Certainly! But the artists turned out to be too eclectic for this minibus, endowed with the pretentious features of American “cruisers”. After all, design implies a combination of beauty and rationality, and Start’s is protruding, like passenger car, a trunk with defiant “keels”. It would be nice if the engine was located at the rear, like in NAMI-013, but it was located traditionally for such cars - between the front seats. Familiar - more rational, more spacious, more harmonious than Start.

In general, Moscow Youth is a professional and original work, and Start is the work of romantic lovers. There is no particular originality in it, but there is a sharp eclecticism - a bizarre combination of several styles, creating, I repeat, a memorable, but disharmonious image.

Another important sign of the professionalism of the creators of Yunost is the ability to modernize the machine without radically altering the platform, which was done in 1970. But it’s hard to imagine how it was possible to modernize Youth just a couple of years after its birth, when American “aerospace” kinks went out of fashion.

Modernized Yunost ZIL‑119 19

the site continues to introduce you to the history of the automotive industry. A new series of historical articles is devoted to the development of the passenger car body shape. In these publications we will look at the main stages in the development of the automotive industry. We will talk not only about the style of cars from different periods, but also about their social, cultural, engineering and technological features that directly influenced the design of the body.

Fortunately, history records the first steps of the automobile industry. Since childhood, many have heard and know the names of people who changed the world forever. The first of them is Karl Benz, and the second is Gottlieb Daimler. They worked in Germany at the same time in neighboring cities. Both designed, built, tested and patented workable powered machines internal combustion. The only difference is that Benz was really the designer of his three-wheeled sidecar with a motor, and Daimler was the “manager”, under whose leadership the talented engineer August Wilhelm Maybach first created the “Daimler motorcycle”, and later the first four-wheeled car. They are the ones who are officially recognized as the “fathers” of the car.

The dates of the appearance of the first vehicles are also known. They are evidenced by patent No. 37,435, issued on January 29, 1886 to Karl Benz, and patent No. 34,926 for a “single-track” carriage, issued to Gottlieb Daimler on April 3, 1885, and in 1886 - for a four-wheeled one. It is worth noting that Benz's car started driving a little earlier, in the same 1886, versus 1888 for Daimler.

Three-wheeled stroller with Benz motor

What were the first cars? Their appearance was strongly influenced by the designs of the bicycle and horse-drawn carriage. Quite light, reliable and well-developed, they were also associated by people with advanced technical advances those years. The cars also inherited most of the body type names from the crews.

Motorcycle and four wheeler Daimler

Oddly enough, Benz and Daimler cars did not find popularity in their homeland. Residents of the surrounding houses and villages were frightened by the loud bangs of the running engine, and in general they were wary of the new miracle of technology. The inventors had to sell their patents to France, where the public showed much more interest in the new “attraction.” It is worth noting here that in those years no one thought much about the transport functions of a car, treating it exclusively as entertainment.

It is in France that the car begins to acquire the status of an individual means of transportation, so it is not surprising that French carriage makers are responsible for many discoveries and innovations in bodybuilding. For example, the first car with a closed body, which was the Renault Type B Coupe, or the technology for manufacturing body panels from aluminum alloys, with which the wooden frame was lined.

But let's return to the description appearance cars late XIX century. The tall and unstable body of the “voiturette” (French for “carriage”) was an elegant tubular steel frame and a small wooden platform installed on it with a pair of sofas located opposite each other. Low power engine often located behind or under the seats. Front wheels and rear axle, due to the imperfect design of the turning mechanism, were of different diameters, there were absolutely no means of protecting passengers from dirt, dust and bad weather.

Later, when cars began to be used not only as recreational vehicles, but also for traveling over fairly long distances, radially bent fenders made of thin wood, folding awnings and lighting lamps appeared. Along the way, it turned out that the common type of “vis-a-vis” landing was unsuitable for long trips, and the front seats began to rotate 180 degrees. As the speed of the machines increased, the size, weight and power of the engine increased. It became increasingly difficult to place it under seats, and it also required good cooling.

And then the French company Panhard et Levassor made a real revolution. In 1893, its chief designer Emile Levassor proposed new type layout of the car, which was destined to become a “classic”: the engine and cooling radiator were located in the front, torque was transmitted through the clutch and gearbox mechanisms to the intermediate transverse shaft, and from it by chains to rear wheels. Looking ahead a little, let's say that this design was modified in 1898 by the young French engineer Louis Renault, who replaced the chain drive cardan shaft, thereby bringing the layout of those years as close as possible to what we have today.

Emile Levassor

The new design faced serious testing. In July 1894, Levassor's car, equipped with a Daimler engine, took the start of the 127-kilometer Paris-Rouen race. Emile Levassor, who personally drove the car, came to the finish line, sharing first place with a car from the now widely known Peugeot brand, also equipped with a Daimler engine. Racing at this time became not only spectacular extreme entertainment, but also a source of useful information for engineers who tirelessly continued to improve the design of the car.

In the next competition, along the route Paris - Bordeaux - Paris, held in 1895, Levassor won a well-deserved victory, covering a 1200-kilometer distance at an average speed of 24.5 km/h. When he stopped the car and stepped onto the ground, he said: “It was real madness! I did up to thirty kilometers per hour!” At the finish site, in the Bois de Boulogne, a monument was erected in honor of Levassor, on the medallion of which an image of the car is carved, the racer himself, welcomed by the crowd, and his words, which went down in history.

Unfortunately, the Paris-Marseille-Paris race of 1896 became fatal for Emile. In an accident, he was seriously injured and dropped out of the fight, and a few weeks later he suddenly died.

Cars with steam engines, as well as with pneumatic tires. The result of their participation was the understanding that gasoline engines significantly superior to steam ones, but pneumatic tires, despite the imperfect design of that time, significantly reduced the weight of the car, increased the level of comfort, speed and durability of the cars. In addition, they ensured reliable grip of the wheels on the road.

Cars with a classic layout turned out to be quite heavy, driving became noticeably more complicated and the owners had to give up their place behind the wheel to professional drivers, and themselves again take the backseat. But the short wheelbase made getting in and out of the rear row passengers very inconvenient, so we had to turn to a tonneau-type body ("barrel" in French), into which passengers entered either through a door in the rear side or by turning the seat next to the driver, to clear passage into the rear compartment. Looking ahead, we will say that the “tonne” was one of the last attempts to adapt the design of the old horse-drawn carriage to a new type of vehicle. It fell out of use at the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, when cars became longer and had wheels of the same diameter, which eliminated many of the shortcomings of earlier layout schemes.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, almost all body shops “emerged” from workshops producing horse-drawn carriages. Until 1903, automobile bodies, like carriages, were entirely wooden; metal was not used at all. At the same time, the share of consumers ordering closed bodies had increased significantly by this time. They were needed by doctors and business people who were forced to travel in any weather. Therefore, it is quite logical that, having extensive experience in carriage production, the craftsmen began to transfer traditional technologies and methods of assembling a closed carriage body to automobile chassis, simultaneously copying the general style architecture. A striking example of this is the “Brougham” body type, which was invented in the first half of the 19th century by the English Lord Brougham, which became widespread in the USA.

Carriage traditions were also strong: passengers did not sit next to the driver, at night the body was illuminated by carriage lights, and the front roof pillar continued down and visually separated the engine volume from the passenger compartment. These were the classic rules of carriage architecture, which no one wanted to break.

However, original, purely automotive layout techniques began to appear. So, around 1905, some manufacturers began to install engines not on canonical carriages, but on original bogies, consisting of two longitudinal spars connected to each other by several cross members. The engine, transmission and suspension were attached to the resulting frame. In other words, two main parts of the car became distinguishable: the mechanical part - the “chassis”, and the body, which was installed as a separate, independent unit and was usually manufactured by a third-party manufacturer. Moreover, there were no side doors yet and the front seats remained open on the sides.

On the basis of a single chassis, create a wide variety of modifications of passenger and even trucks. Craft production at that time coexisted quite peacefully with the tastes of well-to-do motorists, who, in the old fashioned way, continued to perceive a car ride as a leisurely horse ride, and the enormous height of the body, partly caused by the fashion for cylinders, did not bother anyone for a long time. But ever-increasing speeds gradually forced cars to become longer and lower. And in 1906, another revolution took place in the world automobile body building - in England, the technology of welding steel body panels was used.

While in Europe a new type of car layout was taking shape and new bodybuilding technologies were being developed, in the USA, from the beginning of the twentieth century, the main direction in technology was the creation of a mass-produced, cheap, individual vehicle. The first success in this area can be considered the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, which appeared in 1901, the demand for which exceeded all expectations. The Oldsmobile's lightweight open body was mounted on a pair of long longitudinal springs connecting the front and rear wheels. The design of the machine was subject to the fashionable “Art Nouveau” (“modern”) style at that time, which attracted potential buyers. In the first two years, 3,000 cars were produced and production continued to increase.

Auto design is usually called the preliminary, sketch stage of creating a car model of its own unique and individual artistic form. Automotive design is based on the given conditions of rationalism and manufacturability when creating cars. What the car cannot drive without, and also meet the requirements of buyers and regulatory authorities, must be provided in one form or another in the sketch, drawings and metal. Space is needed for the engine, wheels and other equipment, items and devices that ensure the comfort and safety of the driver and passengers.

The flight of fancy of the designers, their vision of beauty and adherence to fashion follows and “flows around” everything necessary, functional and rational. But this is a two-way process. The emergence of new forms, proportions, and individual parts gives impetus to the search for new technical solutions and materials, as well as the “rearrangement” of existing ones.

It is most profitable for any manufacturer to create and sell large items. This is also beneficial for designers - nothing limits the flight of imagination. But if there is a demand in society for miniaturization, and big cars are sold in small batches, then the company will change the production vector.

Story

Despite the fact that cars began to be produced on a significant scale from the end of the 19th century, and, therefore, there was some kind of design for them (at least as an imitation of a carriage or cart), it is believed that automobile and transport design as an artistic design with a theoretical basis and as real business appeared in the North American states in the late 20s of the last century.

Ahead of everyone was the General Motors concern, which formed the corresponding division in 1926. A year later, the Cadillac La Salle, which amazed everyone, was released. Immediately after the end of World War II, automotive design began its victorious march across European countries and Japan. Forty years later, all automakers, including the USSR, had design groups and departments. And at GM, more than one thousand four hundred specialists worked on this topic (in the Ford concern - 875).

Western auto design

In the first decades of the 20th century, the appearance of the car acquired features familiar to us and was no longer a copy of a horse-drawn carriage. There is a fierce struggle not only over the type of engine used (steam, electric or gasoline), but also over the type of body - “saloon” or open.

Automotive design of the 20-30s of the last century was defined by the workaholic Budd - this is a “streamlined shape” (Streamline). In the 40s, the Art Deco (decorative arts) style also had a strong influence. This is a mishmash of neoclassicism, cubism, constructivism. The design of the cars embodied the severity of forms, unusual geometric solutions and luxury finishing (rare types of bone, wood, as well as aluminum, silver, and so on).

With the advent of the Cadillac 62nd model in the United States, a new “aerostyle” began (at that time military aviation was at the peak of progress). She also dictated fashion. England has its own style - “razor blade”. A little later, the “fin style” appeared in the USA, which spread throughout the world and existed even longer than in its “homeland”. It is named so because of the presence of stylized fins of various fish or keels. Fins of different locations and shapes created a catchy appearance, but were extremely impractical.

Fifteen years later, a “pseudo-sports” style came into fashion, giving rise to a large class of pony cars. At the same time, in the 70s, there was a struggle between the “muscular” (insidious killers) and the “moths”. Muscle-cars are 2-door middle-class models with engines from the older class. At this time, more attention was paid to the safety of the driver and passengers. The "muscles" defeated the "moths", but they, constantly appearing and representing an alternative to the "insidious killers", have achieved significant improvements in the field of security.

The laws of aerodynamics began to dictate fashion in the next decade. Streamlined, smoothed shapes of cars reduce resistance to oncoming air flow and provide significant fuel savings, which is becoming more and more relevant. In the last decade of the last century, the aerodynamic “era” continued, but the style of “biodesign” was added to it. This is an imitation of natural streamlined shapes, for example, the shape of rounded pebbles.

In the 2000s, rational “computer” forms of cars became common - all 3 volumes clearly stand out. At the same time, there was a wave of “nostalgic” design - automotive design with a bias towards the 30-50s of the last century.

Currently, there has been a gradual shift away from the styles of the previous decade towards more complex body contours and increased passive safety.

Russian auto design

Automotive design appeared in the USSR much later than in the West. Until the 70s of the last century, a few automakers, both officially and unofficially, worked under “Western licenses.” At the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, several interesting original domestic projects were created under the “wing” of NAMI (NAMI-013, “promising taxi”, “Maxi”), but they were not implemented in production. The PAZ-Tourist bus also failed to make it into the current models, although twice this concept bus received prizes at international exhibitions for innovation and originality. A slightly different situation arose at the Gorky Automobile Plant, where in 1961 the design bureau was headed by B.B. Lebedev. His projects trucks, including on crawler, managed to be realized.

Russian automobile design has always been let down by production, its slowness and technical lag. The picture does not change in the current century, in the age of global division of labor and cooperation, in almost all areas of production.

Exterior design of the car of the future

Design is quite difficult to predict, since it is impossible to predict all the input factors and, most importantly, scientific discoveries. What is important now for body design? This:

• durability;
• ergonomics;
• safety;
• minimizing production costs.

Everything can change dramatically with the introduction of such a factor as the invention of a new type of fuel and/or propulsion. And most vehicles, for example, “fly up” and hover in the air, as is often shown in science fiction films. Or something else “cooler” is happening. The design of the air car will immediately change, as will most of its principles.

If drastic changes do not occur, then, most likely, by the end of the century, the electric motor will finally win, and a final division into vehicles for super-cities (huge cities) and for everything else.

Interior design

Interior design can be carried out by the car manufacturer, as well as after its purchase at any time, although most often this happens at the stage of preparation for operation in parallel with its tuning. If we leave crazy ideas and radical alterations aside, then the task of post-design is to further emphasize the style of the car (any of its features) and/or the lifestyle of its owner. As a rule, it is enough to refine individual parts, but to bring them almost to perfection in the Hi-End class. The inimitable texture and elegance change the feelings and, to some extent, the worldview of the driver and his passengers. And this is achieved, for example, only with inserts made of reptile skin and ivory. Although not everything is so simple, and creating the appropriate atmosphere requires the complex influence of many factors.

Discs

Design car rims- an integral part of auto design. It is not uncommon to see wheels that cost the same as the same car, but in used condition. For example, US Nutek products cost just under 25 thousand dollars per four wheels. For sports cars Savini wheels are very good. They look modest, but elegant, forged and incredibly light. For SUVs - large, one-piece aluminum Dub wheels, which constantly receive awards at specialized exhibitions. Vossen, produced using special low-casting technology, looks sophisticated (chrome finish on a black base) and innovative, and costs half as much as Nutek.

Armchairs

The task of designing car seats is not only to give them the appropriate form and function for greater ergonomics and safety, but also to create an appropriate interior, including with the help of seat covers. A variety of materials can be used for their manufacture and finishing. As they say, for every taste, color and wallet size (upholstery fabric, leatherette, genuine leather). Seat covers made of natural fur add coziness and piquancy. Eco-leather allows air to pass through, but prevents the penetration of water.

The design of sewing car seat covers also consists of decorating the fabric from which they are sewn. Both modern technologies, for example machine computer embroidery, and ancient ones are used. Even in Ancient China, the technology of decorating fabrics by applying pile to them (flocking) was used. The volume of the designs and the play of colors are achieved using the “flock on flock” method.

Boats and automotive design

Since many automobile companies produce small river and sea vessels and/or equipment for them, they also design them. The affordable and futuristic-looking boat Toyota Ponam-31 is shown in the photo.

Lexus is launching a very original model, but it is much more expensive, and not only because of the finishing (carbon fiber, leather, wood). The luxurious yacht Arrow460-Granturismo produced by Mercedes-Benz evokes admiration for its appearance. Aston Martin or Bugatti yachts are true works of art. And for those “obsessed” with speed, headwinds and splashes in the face, products from Cigarette Racing (up to 160 km/h) and Marine Technology Inc (up to 300 km/h) are intended.

Conclusion

So we've looked at the history of automotive design. Now it is at the intersection of high art and technical solutions, so to implement the ideas of “geniuses” we need design engineers who can translate the ideas of brainstorming groups and departments into completely technical language. Painstaking and detailed work is the completion of the project.

Recently, there has been a tendency for women’s thoughts, logic and vision of problems to come into auto design (by the way, this fits into the general trend in the development of society). As they say, let's see and feel what they create. Or maybe this is for the better, since some experts are talking about the “decline”, while others are talking about the end of automotive design.

In fact, is design work the appearance of cars similar to twins, differing only in the appearance and layout of the headlights, as well as other minor details? Cars are beautiful in themselves, but they are very similar, and therefore faceless. This is good for mass production. But I want something else, new and untested.

At the dawn of the automotive industry, there were no rules or restrictions regarding the safety of passengers and others. And many parts for cars were created by craftsmen by hand. Number of cars, which were produced was significantly less than in our time. Main material was for making cars metal. All these factors greatly influenced the variety of designs of cars of the past and their extraordinary appearance.

Until the mid-20s of the twentieth century in car design guessed the shapes of horse-drawn carriages. Cars that were produced from mid-20s to mid-30s, were made in the Art Deco style. Automotive design echoed the basic associations of a car - dynamics, power and speed.

Duesenberg Model J 1933

Art Deco was replaced by Streamline Moderne. It was characterized by streamlined shapes superimposed on the impressive dimensions of the car.

1939 Lincoln Zephyr fastback

In the 50s, cars were characterized by metaphorical body shapes. They were reminiscent of the beginning of the space age of mankind. The lines of the car reflected design elements of airplanes and rockets.

Ford Thunderbird 1965

In the mid-70s, luxury and neoclassical style came into fashion. A typical representative of this style is the American-made four-door sedan Marquis Brougham 1973.

By the end of the twentieth century, the engine design was changed, which entailed a change in the appearance of the car. Eighties can be considered a revolution in the appearance of cars. Square shapes have been replaced by more rounded ones. The laws of aerodynamics come to the fore when creating a design. Streamlining made it possible to significantly reduce gasoline consumption, which was especially important (at the end of the seventies, the second wave of the gasoline crisis covered the world).

1982 Ford Sierra and Audi 100 C3

Typical representatives of the new style are the 1982 Ford Sierra and the Audi 100 C3. In the 90s, the basis of car design remained the rounded shapes obtained in the 80s, which became even thinner and smoother. This result was achieved thanks to the use of computer design technologies, which became widespread during this period.

In 1997, the Ford Ka was released. Its design featured the first use of the New Edge geometric style. This car was a pioneer of a new - “geometric” or “computer” body shape. By the end of the 90s, maximum roundness (biodesign style) was replaced by a combination of rounded and faceted elements.

Ford Ka 1997

Thanks to the globalization of the automotive industry, flaps, massive radiator grilles, and pontoon blown shapes have faded into the background. Rationalism came into force, which stimulated the search for new, more convenient forms. Today, automotive design is characterized by a desire for safety, concern for the environment, and the influence of computer technology.

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Today, after all the evolutions and the adoption of safety laws, the design of the car does not leave much room for change. There are certain proprietary features, which are associated with the national origin of brands. French style is light, a little frivolous, German is restrained and proportional, Korean is bright with lively curved lines. Post-classics like Mini or Fiat 500 stand out.

Creating a car design: the ratio of the reasonable to the possible

In exterior automotive design, proportions are key. The wrong approach is that the front or rear end cars. Wheels must be proportional overall size and stand out visually, since the entire volume rests on them. This works not only from a technical point of view, but also from a psychological one. The more impressive the support, the more trust there is in it.

The difficulty in creating an industrial car design for mass production is that models must correspond to the specified dimensions, engine dimensions, wheels, and the amount of free space in the cabin. There are many restrictions, any big change may result in the car changing to another price segment. Another significant aspect that stands in the way of innovation is legal restrictions. The height of the roof, the dimensions of the headlights and mirrors are parameters that are determined by laws and safety requirements. Designers cannot change them.

If we talk about compact mass-produced cars, then when creating and manufacturing a product, the main thing is the greatest savings while obtaining maximum profits. First of all, this concerns the stringent requirements for the engine and aerodynamics, and this factor in turn affects the design. Small engine assumes the low power of such a car, due to which the wheels are smaller. The car itself is also getting smaller.

During their work, designers are constantly looking for new ways to improve the car. There is an initial vision of the best solution concept. It can be transformed while working on the machine. An important factor is the requirement to provide as much space as possible in the cabin given the small dimensions of the car. Designing the interior of a car is more difficult than designing the exterior. It is difficult to make the design of a car convenient and beautiful due to the solution of many issues related to ergonomics and practicality.

Automotive industrial design: a look into the future

1. Modular design of cars. People dreamed about this technology back at the beginning of the twentieth century. Its purpose is to allow the body of a car to be “put on” onto a universal platform-chassis. Thus, by purchasing one platform you can acquire several cars different formats(sports car and crossover, for example). In 2002 year General Motors presented the concept of such a universal platform for a car, and continue to work in this direction (Hi Wire and AUTOnomy concepts). It is expected that in the near future this technology will become a reality and will be affordable for a person with an average income.

2. New generation paint and enamel. Nissan has been experimenting with anti-vandal paint for a long time, Murano model It heals small scratches on the body itself. In the future the majority car brands will adopt this technology.

3. Projecting data onto the windshield. The technology that was developed for aviation is also relevant for cars. By 2020, it is expected that production cars will be equipped with full-color head-up systems. Ideally, it will be possible to project onto the glass not only data about the internal parameters of the car, but also navigation information about surrounding objects. Data from night vision devices will also be displayed on the windshield. All this will allow you to completely change the design of the car interior and design dashboard cars. Currently, developments in this area are being carried out by Harman Interactive, Tesla, Toyota and BMW.

4. Hydrophobic windows. Another future advancement should be hydrophobic windows that repel water and prevent fogging. One of the first cars to use this technology is 2014 Kia ​​Cadenza. This feature will become very common in the future.

5. A car without a driver. Google, Uber, Tesla, Apple, General Motors, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Volvo, Nissan - all of them are creating cars that can move without a driver. There are currently two directions of development: for use as a taxi and for standard use. The former are characterized by small dimensions and a more futuristic design. The latter are not much different from other modern cars.

The car that was presented Google in 2014, was not equipped with a steering wheel and pedals, it designed for 2 passengers. The design of the car differs from ordinary cars in shape and size. Among the advantages of such transport, the creators cite increased road capacity by narrowing the width of road lanes.

Google self-driving cars (double and standard)

6. The era of plastic and carbon. Plastic is becoming more popular and will be used not only in car interior design. Body panels, power elements chassis, tires, suspension springs - all these elements will be made of plastic. For example, at The Ford GT frame is made of carbon fiber, and the body panels are made of carbon fiber. Bridgestone Corporation has developed new design car tires (the giant also has similar developments Michelin). They are made from plastic and do not require air. Such tires are puncture-resistant, weigh less, cost less and can last longer than regular tires.

7. New types of fuel. It was already mentioned above that the internal structure of the car affects its appearance. The lighter the design of the car, the less gasoline it absorbs. At the beginning of 2016 Peugeot and Citroen presented an innovative development - a prototype of a car with a compressed air engine Air Hybrid. The car looks neat and is extremely economical.

Industrial design of cars of the future: a review of the best solutions

BMW and the driverless car of the future. Vision Next 100- the concept that was presented at the beginning of 2016. It should demonstrate how the car will change in the next hundred years. In addition to its modern appearance, its special feature is the ability to work simultaneously in two modes - unmanned and standard. According to the creators, the design of the car will be able to transform, adapting to the driver. This is due to the presence of 800 movable triangular body elements outside and inside the car. Thus, the car will be able to increase and decrease the width of the wheel arch.

The Cadillac WTF concept is a nuclear-powered car. This car of the future runs on thorium. According to the creators, it is one of the safest radioactive elements. 8 grams of this substance is enough for this car to work for the entire life of the owner (service life - 100 years). The futuristic design of the car resembles a spaceship rather than just a means of transportation and echoes the works of Salvador Dali.

The body shape is similar to a snake's tongue or an arrow that splits in two in the middle. The concept has 24 wheels, 6 on each of the 4 sides. Thanks to special approaches, the design turned out to be very flexible; using movable elements of the body, the car can be transformed, changing its shape. The reactor is located at the rear of the machine. IN surveys about the safety of such a car remain unanswered. What will happen in an accident, how to conduct crash tests? However, it is possible that this idea could become a reality in 50 years.

In January 2016, the Lo Res concept car was presented, which was created in the Netherlands. Its peculiarity is its appearance, which bears very little resemblance to what is commonly called a car. Car design - abstract structure and pure forms.

Students from Einhoven University in the Netherlands have developed a meter-long prototype car that runs on formic acid (which contains hydrogen). The students promise to show the finished full-size prototype in 2017. It is worth noting that Audi, Toyota, and Honda presented their cars powered by hydrogen fuel, but this project will be cheaper to implement.

Features of car design: attention to detail

1. Audi TT digital air vents. In 2016, car ventilation ducts were equipped with digital technologies. These are small LCD screens and controllers that can be used to regulate the temperature and air flow in the car interior.

2. The Lexus LF-SA concept is made in origami style. Attention is drawn to the radiator grille, which looks like an attacking flock of piranhas.

3. The Ford GT diffuser that is installed in the rear looks like a small nuclear reactor. Tail lights resemble the nozzles of a rocket engine operating at full power.

4. Creators of the 2016 Lincoln Continental We also paid attention to the lights, which in combination with chrome look incredibly bright. This car shows that you can put emphasis on the rear of the car and it will still look cool.

5. The Nissan Sway concept is somewhat similar to the Lexus LF-SA. It can be compared to a hawk that attacks its prey. The design feature of the car is that Shiro Nakamura made the car look like big car, despite the fact that Sway is a small car. This effect is achieved thanks to the unusual side waves on the body, which create a misleading impression of the large dimensions of the car.

6. In the design of the 2016 Nissan Maxima, the V-shaped roof allows for a “design-movement” effect. when the car appears to be moving even though it is stationary. This technique is often used when creating sports cars.

7. The interior design of the Volvo XC90 features a large number of sophisticated details. For example, a glass gear shift knob, which was created for Volvo by the glass company Orrefors (one of the leaders in the global glass industry).

8. Nowadays it’s difficult to imagine the interior of a car without an information screen. However, not all of them fit well into the interior design of the car. Fiat 500X 2016 has a touch screen stylized as an old TV with two handles at the bottom. Such retro design It looks unconventional and very stylish.

9. The interior of the 2015 Jeep Renegade was done by Klaus Busse. Thanks to it, the design of car seats, rear-view mirrors, interior panels, floor mats, center consoles and even the trunk is decorated with thematic patterns. According to the master’s plan, this allows you to draw attention to those places in the car that you usually don’t look at.

10. Mazda MX-5 Miata has a classic design and adheres to the style of the brand. The originality of this model is in the roundness and inflated fenders of the car. They are complemented by classic optics and in the end the result is not just a car, but an object of art.

11. BMW i8 2014 can be called a masterpiece of car design. This sports car is made in a futuristic style. It has dynamic shapes and clear lines. The feature of the car is LED headlights with red and blue laser technology. Thanks to the combination with metal, it is impossible to take your eyes off them.

12. The Nissan Gripz concept is called “Emotional Geometry.” The appearance is characterized by extraordinary lines, colors and combinations various structures. They fit perfectly into the overall design idea and beautifully flow around the rear optics of the car.

13. Ferrari 488 supercar won the prize for best design in 2016 according to the prestigious Red Dot Design Awards. The design of the car is reminiscent of the 458 Italia and has partial references to the 308 GTB. Thanks to a more advanced aerodynamic system (compared to the 458 Italia), the car body develops 50% more downforce and creates less air resistance.

Retro notes are recognizable in the design of the car. Thanks to the distinctive side air intakes, it is easy to draw parallels with the 308 GTB model, which was produced in the 70s and 80s. Other striking elements of the model are a large air intake, a wide front spoiler, and a diffuser with active rear flaps.

The interior of the car is practically no different from previous models, but the designers equipped it with new triangular ventilation holes climate control, new seats and updated interface of the infotainment system.

To create a car design, contact KLONA. Thanks to our experience, professionalism and non-standard approaches, the design of your car will be unique!

Car design and its impact on sales: 10 approaches

Car design can be roughly divided into 2 large aspects. The first is the design of show cars. When creating them, designers have a lot of room for creativity, and viewers are usually impressed by non-standard approaches and revolutionary ideas. For mass production, simpler and more classic options are usually chosen. People love looking at fancy futuristic cars at car shows, but they aren't always ready to buy them. Typically, clients focus on practicality and intuitively prefer familiar forms. There are design trends that are key and that designers return to regularly.

1. Tumblehome. This term comes from marine engineering and refers to the tapering of the hull from the top to the bottom. Nowadays, most car models adhere to this style. At the beginning of the twentieth century, this technique had not yet migrated from shipbuilding to automotive industry. Therefore, the cars looked completely different from what they do now.

An example of non-compliance with the Tumblehome principle

2. Realistic design. Despite the advancement in new technologies and impressively beautiful cars with futuristic designs, it is not suitable for mass production cars. Buyers are still wary of modern cars and too modern design, preferring a more familiar appearance of the car.

3. Balance of realism. When creating cars for mass production, designers try to maintain a balance between tradition and innovation. New models that sell best are those that are closest to familiar forms, but at the same time endowed with new qualities.

4. Squircle - a term that means a mathematical shape - a hybrid of a circle and a square. This shape is very popular when creating car designs. This approach is most loved by German designers.

Example of using the Squircle principle

5. Thick-to-Thin (from thick to thin). This rule is based on smooth transitions from one point to another. This includes thinning lines and transitions from dark to light colors.

6. Straight body lines are the basis for the future appearance of cars. Design depends 65% on them. When creating it, the main task is to find a balance between rough and elegant. The designer makes every effort to do this without compromising the appearance of the car.

7. Smooth body lines. These lines create style model range each brand. Often, car companies use smooth body elements in all their models, which allows you to recognize the silhouette of the brand even in poor lighting.

8. Visual madness. This technique helps car companies attract more attention. Brands are associated with him Acura and Lexus. New models of these brands often look aggressive and shocking. Professionals debate the effectiveness of such approaches. They say that such a design quickly becomes outdated, and, accordingly, large investments are needed to update it frequently.

9. Coca-Cola bottle style. The shape of the glass cola bottle greatly influenced the design of automobiles. If you look at such a car in profile, the lines resemble a bottle. In the center of the car, the body elements (doors and fenders) are made narrower than the front and rear. This technique was first tested in 1963, when Studebaker presented the Studebaker Avanti model. They were followed by the Chevrolet Corvette, Pontiac Tempest and Ford Torino. Echoes of this style can still be seen in the models Dodge Charger and Dodge Avenger, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro.

10. Gigantomania (Land Yacht). This style originated in America in the 70s and is characterized by giant body elements. Such cars consume a lot of fuel due to their heavy weight and aerodynamic drag. Fashion for big cars still exists and is developing parallel to the fashion for tiny, economical smart phones.

Lincoln is the car most strongly associated with the Land Yacht principle

Automotive design: controversial issues

There are design solutions, the purpose of which is not fully understood, and the benefit is illusory. This usually concerns the interior design of a car and the technical contents of the car.

1. Projecting the car brand onto the road surface when opening the door and LED backlight on the thresholds of cars. This solution is more of a boast than a really necessary feature.

2. Control lamp on the eco-mode dashboard. The eco mode panel helps the driver save fuel. The lamp lights up if the economy mode is activated and starts flashing if the driver suddenly changes his driving style. When you quickly press the brake or gas, the light begins to flash, thus recommending the driver to change his driving style. But most motorists say that such a signal is rather annoying and distracting. In addition, it works after the fact, and a priori cannot help.

Chris Labrooy - Tales Of Auto Elasticity

3. An abundance of electronic gadgets and unnecessary functions. With the development of smartphones and social networks, more and more touch screens and additional functions are being placed inside cars. That being said, they still don't work very well, and many simply distract from the main task - driving. They also contribute to the creation of emergency situations on the roads. These functions include:

• night vision technology (with screen projection);
• integration with social media;
• optional navigation and infotainment systems.

Night vision is a very important feature, but it is not working well yet. In most cars, night vision technology projects an image onto a screen below windshield. Looking at it is uncomfortable and dangerous, as is being distracted by social media while driving. Buying a navigation system does not justify itself, since any smartphone has a navigator, and it works just as well.

Helps prevent mistakes KLONA- leader of the Ukrainian industrial design market. Contact us to design a machine for your project. Forward, towards new achievements!