Due to the summer being a typically lackluster time of year for new vehicle releases (unless you’re Chevrolet) design studios tend to branch out and, err, TRY a few things. It is this time of year that we see all manner of products come from these studios, usually as a Design House in collaboration with some other product entity.
We’ve seen LaCie’s Porsche-designed hard drives, watches from Ducati, bobsleds from Lotus, and even foosball tables from Audi. While this has been a regular part of the design world for decades, we are seeing the current crop become all the more “in our faces” as the automotive market remains in a lull and the studios look to work outside of the auto industry.
Which brings about a great question: When is it too much? Or, is it EVER too much? Should auto industry studios be MORE involved in the rest of the design world, spreading their talents into areas where Design is sorely missed?
Let us know in the comments, and click the link for more images.
Lotus’ bobsled for the RAF
Audi’s foosball table
Porsche Design’s hard drives for LaCie
I tend to find that items or products associated with automotive brands are usually overpriced. For example, I once saw a hideously expensive pen by Lamborghini (at a motor show) — it was just a normal pen with the Lamborghini logo/badge on it and with no particularly impressive features, but they seemed to think as if the pen was some kind of ‘superpen’ capable of writing upside down, with superb aerodynamics and a drag co-efficent comparable to that of a sub-atomic particle, *and* able to go from 0-60 words in 3.5 seconds. One can only wonder what mileage/inkage was like =P (after all, it is a Lamborghini!)
I don’t really mind auto companies making non-vehicular products as long as they’re of good quality (i.e. well designed, engineered, priced etc) and substance — and not abusing the ability to markup costs based on the brand’s image.
I would have to agree. In this case, I actually do not see the point in Audi making a fooseball table. What’s the connection? It just seems out of place. Even if car companies decided to produce high quality consumer products, it seems a bit risky. People tend to purchase products that have value, quality, and reliability from companies specializing in that product.
Then again, such products may only be intended to cater to the individuals that bought their vehicles in the first place. If you can afford a Lamborghini, you can afford their ridiculously overpriced pen. Wonder how much their T-shirts cost?
You are forgetting……..
Damn near every product the US economy now buys is built in China……..
Value, quality, craftsmanship, not at Wallmart’s, bargain basement buy now brake tomorrow prices….
just sayin
oops break.