Car Design Fetish

With all of the industry events during the preview of NAIAS you get to hear a lot of rumors from a variety of people.  Some true and some not but all interesting.  Here is our run down of some interesting tid bits picked up off the floor when the drinks ran out.

Buick Regal GS – High potential of making it to production.  Really no reason not to since it is made as an Opel.

Chevrolet Aveo RS – Looked great at the show, but production form changes the front clip, lighting details, and the size wheels.  I saw this version at GM’s Technology Event in the fall and it needs help.  No RS version is going to create a lot of bad press for the new Aveo.

GMC Granite – This was an actual real concept car created in just 7 months.  Many GM designers were not a fan of a small GMC and are not supporting it to well.  GM employees seem to be split 50/50 on whether this concept will make it into production.  Personally I thought this was Best of Show and would bring many new buyers (myself included) to the brand.  This vehicle was a gerat interpretation of a small GMC.

Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep – Busy , busy , busy is all that can be said for team Pentastar.  No vehicles at Detroit but 16 new vehicles coming through next year.  11 refreshed and 5 all new.  There are 9 new interiors coming out by next year and some have not even been designed yet.  Most exciting to me is a new Jeep Wrangler interior coming after next years subtle refresh.  I was told I will love it.  We will wait and see.

Supposedly Mr. Sergio Marchionne does not like showing vehicles far ahead of actual production.  Hence why there were no vehicles in Detroit, nothing is ready to come out.  We will not even see the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee until spring when it goes on sale.  Could he be bringing the suspense of the old days when you would actually go to the dealership just to watch the cover come off the new car?  That would be great and really stick it to us bloggers (not us) who break embargoes early.

Ford – The new Fusion / Mondeo is said to be amazing and will blow away everything out there.  Hopefully they grew out of the global growing pains had by the new Focus.

Audi E-Tron – This version of the E-Tron will be the next R4.  It has the same proportion of last years VW roadster.

VW New Compact Coupe (NCC)- This will most likely be the new Jetta Coupe, assuming they stick with the Jetta name.

What did you here? If you have any other rumors you heard be sure to add them into the comments section.

Well the long awaited Ford Focus is here and is going to make an impression. There is definitely a lot to take in with this global (80% common parts) Focus.  I think everyone will find areas they like and some they don’t.  This design was collaborated on between Europe, United States and Asia and I find myself trying to find who had influence on what part.  Overall the one thing I feel is missing on the exterior is “refinement.”  There is so much going on and there doesn’t need to be.

Read on for more……

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For our last podcast of the year Dali, Arvind and I set out to enjoy some beverages to celebrate the upcoming holiday.  While we were at it the discussion of a holiday wish list from the Big 3 came up.  Have a listen to hear what our thoughts are.  We also reveal some details on our 4 year Anniversary celebration following the NAIAS Design Forum.  Check it out!

 

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The Fiesta has arrived wearing exactly what we wanted it to.  Many were worried that the Fiesta would “lose” something after its long swim from Europe.  The U.S. Fiesta has sustained a minor face lift to fit in all the necessary requirements, but it is nothing that consumers will even notice.

Exterior Design

The Kinetic Design Language has survived since it was first introduced on the Iosis concept.  The highly energetic surfaces create a fabulous sense of style while never allowing the thought of a small econo box from entering your mind.

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Sure we all know what it will look like but it is still exciting to see the Ford Fiesta getting closer to stripping off its clothes.  This car will succeed with its high style and affordable price.  The forms and surface detail are well resolved and will set a new standard for compact cars.  Putting this car on the road to start the next decade will be a great way to start this new era of car design.

What new era is this I speak of?  An era of successful car design.  I hope.

More pics after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Here it is the 2012 Buick Unnamed Crossover.  Due to a good memory and a fellow blogger Mr. Banovsky we believe this is 95% the Buick Crossover shown at GM on Mondays event.  This vehicle actually debuted as a concept in Brazil under the name Chevrolet GPiX (meaning Global Pictures???) in Soa Paulo 2008.

The GPix would receive unique front/rear clips and the Buick badge.  It is a neat little vehicle to slot under the Saturn Vue Buick Plug In Crossover out next year.  The front end has a look reminiscent of the Riviera Concept from a couple years back.  I am sure the wheels would not be so sporty for the luxury brand.

It did look good in person and should do well.  Follow the jump for some other views of the new Buick.

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Yesterday I was able to attend GM’s Product and Technology Event where they put on a show to present their future capabilities. The people invited were all random going through 30 different channels to reach bloggers of varying types.   The morning started off with Mr. Lutz making some great comments. My favorite being his reference to their old interiors looking like “hardened lava.”  I couldn’t explain it any better.  We then got a tour of the four new Brand “Salons.”  Unfortuneatley ther were no cameras allowed, so I will do my best to describe them.  Hit the jump and look into the next 24 months of GM’s lineup.

GMC                                    Buick                                      Chevrolet                                   Cadillac

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Well, here it is in the flesh.  Just after we wrote about it one of our readers sent these photos in of the Grand Cherokee not being shy about its new skin.  No camo for this guy.  It does look good on the road looking a little bigger/ wider all around appearing more filled out than the current model.

I have seen a flat black version running around that looks badass!!  Can’t wait to see more of them.  Here is a link to the new model now with air suspension…  Someone is going after land Rover…

Also check out our more in depth review here.

Thanks for the pics Candice

Did you forget about the poor ol Jeep Grand Cherokee.  Yes, they still make it, and yes, it has faded to the background of almost every other SUV out there.  But if you missed the New York Auto Show (like most of us Detroiters) then you were treated to the 2011 model at the Eve of the Eyes show last month.

At first glance the overall impression is wow! and when can I get one?  The designers did a great job evolving the current design and bringing back some of the successful details from prior generations.  The biggest detail being the termination of the round bug eye lights that were stuffed in there like a kid trying to put his head through the arm hole.

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The phrase too much of a good thing is beginning to be used by GM.  The new interior designs look great and the execution is far beyond the typical GM quality you think about.  But now they are running into a different problem.  Actually two.

The first is developing a brand design language.  Now that the quality is up, each brand needs to speak its own language.  When I get into a Buick it should not remind me of the Camaro.

The second is how to interpret a theme amongst a line of vehicles.  The design language in a brand should be familiar to the other vehicles but not be verbatim

Let me show you what I mean….click here Read the rest of this entry »