Car design news, features and resources.
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At Ford, ensuring materials and upholstery are up to the mark is crucial for everything from the first impression all the way down the line to the perception of the vehicle after considerable use – and thus resale value and reputation. We knew about Ikea’s kitchen drawer tests, now Ford are shedding a little light on their processes for testing and selecting fabrics and materials.
In short..
Throughout a vehicle’s lifetime, it’s inevitable that the materials inside a car show signs of wear and tear. Wear occurs in all contact areas from sitting on car seats, leaning on arm rests, gripping the steering wheel through to fiddling with the instruments.
So what does Ford do to ensure interiors will hold up?
To help guarantee the durability of these fabrics, leathers and plastics, Ford engineers subject every material used inside Ford vehicles to a series of meticulous and unrelenting tests where they are stretched, scratched, snagged, sniffed and even splashed with the likes of grease, dirt and hot coffee, to see how they will stand up against the test of time.
These tests are done to help ensure it takes a lot more than a spilled cup of coffee, the graze of a sharp edge or any accidental scrapes and scuffs to break down these materials. Some of the unusual ordeals Ford materials need to go through include:
In addition to the poking, prodding and scratching, a team of examiners smell various samples of materials used inside Ford vehicles and rank them to help the engineers achieve interiors that are free of disturbing odours.
The purpose of these tests is to create and maintain a level of quality in Ford vehicles that can be expected to last through the vast majority of scenarios of car usage for years to come.
Further watching..
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Chief Designer, Tadao Mori, and Chief Engineer, Koji Sato, explain how the Japanese traditions of fine quality finishing give the new LC coupe an added dimension of luxury and attention to detail.
Q: Where can we see the work of Lexus’ Takumi craftspeople in the new LC?
Q: How have you been able to make use of the craftsmanship skills that were developed for the LFA?
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Jaguar Land Rover has been honoured with three trophies at the prestigious Autonis design awards, voted for by readers of Germany’s leading motoring magazine, Auto Motor und Sport.
In the 15th annual reader survey, 115 cars competed across ten categories with more than 17,500 votes cast. Â The Jaguar XF led the upper middle class category with 42 per cent share of votes, beating local competition from the Audi A6 (35 per cent) and BMW 7-series (30.5 per cent).
The all-new Jaguar XE scooped 36 percent of votes in the middle class group, relegating the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3-series to second and third place with 29 and 28 per cent of the votes respectively. Jaguar also took home the silver medal in the design brand of the year class.
Land Rover celebrated success in the SUV class with the Range Rover Evoque winning by the biggest margin of all award entrants, receiving almost twice as many votes (45 per cent) than its closest rivals the Audi Q3 (23 per cent) and the BMW X1 (23 per cent).
Speaking at the awards, Adam Hatton said: “Having the XE and XF voted most attractive car by Auto Motor Und Sport readers is testament to the design philosophy and brand values of Jaguar. By accepting this award I’d like to thank the fantastic design team who I am privileged to work with every day who have incorporated aerodynamic design and aluminium materials to create the lightest, stiffest, most dynamic and most attractive Jaguars yet.â€
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IED and Quattroruote in Geneva present the latest concept car by the Master in Transportation Design, a self-driving vehicle that focuses on the user experience. After an initial collaboration started in 2015, the two organisations have partnered again on the occasion of their anniversaries: in 2016 they celebrate 50 years since the first IED creative graduate and 60 years from the first issue of the magazine that would become an international leader in the automotive world.
Shiwa (4,700mm long, 2,000mm wide, 1,500 high and with a 3,660mm wheelbase) is a noiseless zero emissions self-driving vehicle with four seats and four electric motors integrated in the drivetrain. Shiwa – a Japanese word meaning “fold†– indicates the form/action able to transform a surface without resistance into a self-supporting object, as in origami: the fold gives form and function to a surface which otherwise would lack them. This is the initial concept from which the Korean student Youngjin SHIM drafted her project, which was then developed by a team composed of her and eleven other Master students, including the Italian Luca MENICACCI and the Indian Jaykishan Vithalbhai LAKHANI. The external structure of the concept is inspired by the fold/origami idea.
The concept car highlights a new idea of an object strong through its form, redefining the idea of chassis and of external structure, which in this case encloses the cabin shaped like a suspended “diamondâ€. The exterior origami protecting the diamond-cabin is made of metal composite material with an aluminium finish and is connected to a frame. The Shiwa cabin interior surfaces are designed to project multimedia contents towards the passengers, outdoors or to create an augmented reality. The cabin is designed to bring people together, thanks to the seats configuration disrupting the traditional passenger-driver hierarchy and delineating different spaces and uses and reinterpreting the concept of conversation and interaction inside the vehicle. Shiwa envelops the passengers both physically, in their sensory dimension and in all the relational aspects among themselves and with the outside world.
The vechicle uses an all wheel drive system with 4 brushless motors mounted directly on the wheels, a totally electric power unit. Shiwa is an IICV – Individual Identity Companion Vehicle: it learns the identity, interests and habits of its occupants, it recognises their features and adapts its behaviour to circumstances and to passengers. Among its features is a fingerprint keyless entry system. Shiwa also features full-LED headlights and a front OLED display indicating the charging level of the car and allowing the opening and the insertion of the charging plug-in.
“The automotive world is on the verge of a paradigm shift that will revolutionise processes and archetypes – says Gian Luca Pellegrini, director of Quattroruote. Shiwa wants to be a starting point on the road towards a future in which the role of manufacturers and motorists will undergo an ultimate transformation: a world where the self-driving vehicles will introduce a new way of intending private transport as well as a different interpretation of designâ€.
“Shiwa is a self-driving vehicle but talking about it today means facing obstacles that are more psychological and organizational than technological – declares Riccardo Balbo, Director of IED Turin. With Shiwa, IED and Quattroruote raise their eyes towards the horizon on a temporal space of the city spanning over the next 15 years. Shiwa proposes scenarios and solutions that automotive brands are starting to face today in order to address the industrial market of urban mobility towards 2030, in a world very different and certainly not predictable today, but where the comparison between mobility, habitat and society will require more radical answers. The concept car subverts the established approach of the automotive world: it is designed starting from the user experience and from the inside, imagining a micro-habitat for the individual. A space where the experience, time, information and quality of life become central and prevail over the exterior design, becoming direct expression of the internal designâ€.
The project is the result of a creative process involving students in a process replicating that of a contemporary automotive design centre. All Master students submitted an individual proposal; the projects better suited to answer the brief for the interior or exterior area were selected and combined for designing the final version. The class then created a core work team which completed the final full-scale concept design. The show car was constructed by Cecomp, for over 30 years the European leader in the production of models and prototypes, which has always cooperated with the Institute in the prototyping process. The SHIWA project was also supported by various technical partners including Newcast Services, Model Resine, OZ Racing and Pirelli.
Initial Brief
THE AUTONOMOUS DRIVING VEHICLE: NEW ENGINEERS COMPONENTS IN TRADITIONAL SOLUTIONS OR DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR A MOBILITY FUTURE?
Design an autonomous car or vehicle. Imagine how many opportunities designers can bring in terms of concepts, solutions, philosophy and perception open in such a scenario, where lots of rules are changed or up to: interior layouts can drastically affect the main body concepts, technology can define different uses, fashion, even the inner sense of property of a vehicle. The challenge designers should tackle is jump a step ahead and imagine an autonomous car starting from design rather than technology.
Students on the two year course come from different design backgrounds. Admission to the course is restricted to professionals with at least two years work experience in the sector or graduates from IED or colleges in a similar field as well as other design graduates.
Credits
Shiwa is the brainchild of: Youngjin SHIM (Korea); Luca MENICACCI (Italy) and Jaykishan Vithalbhai LAKHANI (India)
Interior Design development: Jose Ignacio MARTINEZ FLORES (Ecuador)
Project contributors: Chen LUJIA (China); Charles Frederic Nestor CARRUPT (Switzerland); Mikhail D. SOUZA (India); Qichang LI (China); Kejin PAN (China); Alparslan TURHAN (Turkey); Gaurav UDAVANT (India) and Honghu ZHANG (China), students of the Master in Transportation Design IED Turin AY 2014/15.
Shiwa was realized under the coordination of Alessandro Cipolli, Master in Transportation Design Coordinator and Davide Tealdi, IED teacher. The project was carried out under the supervision of Fulvio Fantolino, Coordination of Transportation Design.
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Icona shows more about the coachbuilding of its one-off creation: the unique titanium body.
After its world premier at Pebble Beach 2015 and its European reveal in Paris, the Italian Design House has scheduled his presence in the European most important show car happenings: next appointment is in April at Top Marque Monaco.
Inspiration for the Vulcano came from the world’s fastest plane, the Blackbird SR-71, whose sharp and dramatic silhouette complimenting its sensual surface transitions was key to the styling of the Vulcano.†said Icona design director Samuel Chuffart. The naked titanium body is a sculpture, revealing its 10,000 hours of hand-crafted work in the most pure form. The Vulcano’s strongly sculpted body side and voluptuous shapes evacuate the hot air from the engine and reduce air turbulence generated by the wheels.
The Vulcano Titanium was built by CECOMP, an Italian coachbuilder with a long and glorious history in the Racing Field (eg: complete body development and production of Lancia Delta S4, Lancia Delta Integrale, Alfa Romeo 155 DTM). The powertrain is the work of Mr. Claudio Lombardi, ex-Scuderia Ferrari director and mastermind of numerous world champion cars, and Mr. Mario Cavagnero the man behind the Lancia Racing Team and father of the engine of many championship-winning cars (the famous Lancia Delta Integrale and 037, as well as the complete Peugeot 205 T16 and 405 t16 series)
The Vulcano (volcano in Italian) has a mid-front engine calibrated for homologated road and race use with an optimum balance of usability and efficiency. Capable to be tuned to well near 1.000 horsepower should the owner demand it, the optimized 670 horsepower and 840 N/m of its supercharged V8 is coupled with a paddle-shift close ratio gearbox from Automac Modena, allowing 0 to 60 kw/h in 2.8 seconds and 120 km/h in 8.8 seconds.
Founded in early 2010, ICONA brings together the best of European design, engineering, modeling and prototyping experience. This Italian design house born in Torino is working around the globe, providing leading design services and prototyping through an integrated partnership with Torino-based coachbuilder Cecomp. Today, Cecomp is involved in all stages of the car lifecycle: from style development and prototypes through to the supply of complete vehicles for some of the world’s most prestigious automotive brands. Cecomp has manufactured several one-off cars previously seen at the best Concours d’Elegance worldwide.
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Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum has been named among the first inductees to the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame at a prestigious ceremony held aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia and hosted by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent.
The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers’ Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame, presented by Bridge of Weir Leather Company, was inaugurated as part of the opening celebrations of the Concours of Elegance, which opens at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh this weekend. Ian Callum joins motorsport legends Sir Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark as the first inductees.
Ian Callum said: “It’s a great honour, made even greater by the company I am in as an inaugural member of the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame alongside Sir Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark. I am absolutely thrilled, and so proud.â€Â
Ian Callum, 61, was born in Dumfries, Scotland, and became Jaguar’s Director of Design in 1999, following a series of high profile design roles in the automotive industry.
Aged 14, Callum penned his first attempt at a Jaguar car design, and sent it to the company in the hope of landing a job. He went on to study industrial design and graduated from the Glasgow School of Art, and subsequently from the Royal College of Art in London with a postgraduate Masters degree in vehicle design.
President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, Alisdair Suttie, commenting on his presentation to Ian Callum, said: “There is a very strong contingent of Scots in the world automotive sector, in both racing and industry, some of whom have been absolutely fundamental in putting Scotland on the map when it comes to globally significant achievements on wheels. These are the people that the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame was created to celebrate, and Ian Callum, was right up there at the top of our list of such individuals. From his early design work, through to the Jaguars we know and love today – XK, XJ, XF, C-X75, XE, F-TYPE, F-PACE – his creations are heralded as pieces of automotive art the world over. I am very proud to induct Ian into the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame.â€
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Today, Hyundai débuted its N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo Concept for the North American market at the Los Angeles Auto Show. This concept demonstrates the Hyundai brand’s unique perspective on future performance characteristics and was developed as one of the latest additions to the Vision Gran Turismo. The Vision Gran Turismo project invites automakers, design houses and leading brands to design special concept vehicles that showcase the future of automotive design, exclusively for Gran Turismo®, one of the most popular video game franchises. The N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo boasts a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain capable of generating an impressive 884 PS (872 HP), using an additional super capacitor system.
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Ed Welburn, vice president of General Motors Global Design will retire on July 1, following a 44-year career with the company.
Michael Simcoe, a 33-year veteran of GM Design and vice president of GM International Design, based in Australia and Korea, has been selected to succeed Welburn. He will be the company’s seventh design leader and begins transitioning into his new role on May 1. His replacement has not been named.
Welburn, 65, has been celebrated inside and outside the industry for his extraordinary achievements. He has led GM Design since 2003, and globally since 2005, the first African American from any automaker to do so.
“GM Design is among the most respected and sought-after organizations in the industry because of Ed’s leadership. He nurtured a creative, inclusive and customer-focused culture among our designers that has strengthened our global brands,†said Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO.
Under Welburn’s leadership, GM built a network of 10 GM design centers in seven countries. His team of more than 2,500 creative men and women – based in the U.S., Germany, South Korea, China, Australia, Brazil and India – collaborate on the design development of every GM concept and production car, truck and crossover globally.
Mark Reuss, executive vice president, Global Product Development and Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, announced Simcoe’s promotion and commended Welburn.
“Given his deep global experience and passion for breakthrough design, Michael is the right person to lead GM Global Design,†said Reuss. “He is known for his ability to take diverse ideas and mold them into great products that surprise and delight our customers.â€
Reuss recognized Welburn for his creative imprint on four decades of iconic vehicles and his leadership in identifying and developing world-class talent.
“Ed’s team turns out one award-winning product after another … and his strong bench will keep GM Design on top for years to come,†Reuss said.
Simcoe has been in his current role since 2014, overseeing GM’s production and advanced studios in Korea, Australia and India. He is known for applying global design excellence and creativity to the company’s distinct brands.
He joined GM in 1983 as a designer at Holden in Australia, and is Holden’s brand champion. In 1995, he became director of Design for GM Asia Pacific and in 2003, was named executive director of Asia Pacific Design and led the development of the new GM Korea design operations under Welburn’s leadership.
The following year, he became executive director of North American Exterior Design, responsible for critical and commercial successes like the GMC Terrain, Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Camaro and Equinox and Cadillac CTS.
More recently, he led the team responsible for the award-winning Buick Avenir Concept. Last month, he introduced the Chevrolet Colorado Xtreme and Trailblazer Premier show cars at the Bangkok International Motor Show.
More information on the achievements of Wellburn during his tenure at GM can be found at WelburnDesign.com
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“The world would be a sad place for me, without great design†–
Gerry McGovern.
Modern automotive design is, by necessity, high-tech and computer-led – leading to the belief that the human touch has largely been lost. But it is no coincidence that the imaginative mind behind one of the most successful car marques in existence takes influence from beyond the computer screen in order to design cars that provoke thought, interest, emotion and affection.
The Range Rover is just such a car. Launched in its original guise in 1970, it truly deserves to be called a ‘design icon’ – a status it has achieved through four model generations, the latest of which has even been hailed as ‘possibly the best car ever made’.
And now, as Range Rover celebrates its 45th anniversary, Land Rover’s Design Director and Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern gives an insight into five objects that have inspired and influenced the way in which he approaches his work.
1. Round Café, Coventry
This cylindrical café, which opened in the late 1950s, was a symbol of the modernist design philosophy introduced by Coventry town planner Donald Gibson, and has been regarded as a city centre landmark ever since.
The building, like many built in Coventry at the time, stood as a symbol of post-war optimism. Gerry says: “During the 1960s, the whole city centre was really modern, with mosaic tiling and large expanses of glass – most of the buildings in the town centre were forward thinking.
“My mother worked in the café for a while and I used to sit in there as a child. It felt like being in a spaceship. So I was introduced to this world of modernism and futuring from a very young age, which is something that has always stayed with me.â€
2. Eames lounge chair
The iconic Eames Lounge Chair was designed by Charles and Ray Eames for the Herman Miller furniture company in 1956. The chair’s unique shape, exposed structure and base materials of molded plywood and leather is said to be inspired by a baseball mitt.
The Eames chair has been a design favourite of Gerry’s for many years, representing a timeless piece that has both utility and purpose at its core. Gerry says: “It is perhaps an obvious choice for a designer to make, however it’s so good and continues to give me pleasure, which is what ultimately all good design should have the ability to do. For me, it’s a piece of design that is still relevant today.
“The Eames chair has certain values that are important to me as a designer. For example, being true to materials. The fact that, rather than covering up the structure, the designers chose to celebrate it. However, by continually refining and updating the materials and finishes, as well as improving the quality of construction with more contemporary materials, softer leathers and lighter woods, means that it’s still as relevant today as the day it was designed.â€
3. Josef Albers – ‘Never Before I’ series
German-born Josef Albers was an artist and teacher who specialised in painting, printmaking, murals and architecture. After emigrating to America in the 1930s, Albers was regarded as an important influence on generations of younger artists and was credited as an innovator in the fields of Op art and Colour Field painting.
The clarity and precision of Alber’s work is of particular significance to Gerry, he says: “Albers is recognised as one of the world’s greatest modernist printmakers. To me, the beauty lies in the precision of each colour against the other. There is absolute clarity in his work.
“One of the reasons why I admire Albers so much is the precision that he achieved through silkscreen printing, which meant he could create perfect lines of connecting colour. The colours are so vibrant, so rich. I never tire of his work – I bought my first collection by Albers more than 15 years ago and while I’ve sold many other artists work over the years, I’ve always kept the Albers.
“When creating an initial vehicle design, you start with the fundamentals, which are optimized volume and proportions and followed on by surfacing and detail. There is a sense of graphic design and symbolism in a lot of my favourite art, Albers’ printmaking is a perfect example.â€
4. Kaufmann Desert House, Palm Springs, California
Designed by Richard Neutra in 1946, the Kaufmann House is located in Palm Springs, California. It was created for the businessman and philanthropist Edgar Kaufmann and was purposefully designed to sit in juxtaposition with the surrounding mountains. It is seen as a prime example of modernist architecture.
The design aesthetic particularly resonated with Gerry, he says: “The Kaufmann House has that sense of bringing the outside in, which is something that we deliberately tried to incorporate with the inclusion of the panoramic roof on our Range Rovers.
“Many of our customers are being chauffeured through cities and want to look up and be able to take in their surroundings. We felt that it was important to introduce the large glass roof so we could bring a sense of the environment into the vehicle and thus create a sense of occasion.â€
5. Patek Philippe Calatrava watch
Since 1851, Patek Philippe has produced some of the world’s greatest timepieces and its unpretentious, yet sophisticated designs have been a mainstay throughout its history. Gerry owns two examples of the Swiss ultra-luxury watch manufacturer’s work – the Nautilus and Calatrava. He says: “The Calatrava particularly represents, in my view, a masterclass in simplicity and sophistication. It’s as much about what it doesn’t say, as what it does say. It’s a beautiful thing – the notion of ‘less is more’ is a fundamental part of its design philosophy. Every detail on the watch is doing a job.â€
Gerry concludes: “All five of these objects have the ability to connect on an emotional level. For me, emotional design has three key components. The first is visceral – when you look at it do you desire it. The second is behavioral – when you use it does it do what it’s meant to do. And finally, reflective – once you have experienced it, does it continue to excite. To me, Range Rover epitomizes all three of these components.â€
Gerry McGovern is Design Director and Chief Creative Officer for Land Rover. After completing a degree in industrial design at Coventry University, McGovern studied for a Masters at the Royal College of Art in London, specialising in automotive design. His early career took in stints at Chrysler, Peugeot and Rover Group, where he was lead designer of the critically acclaimed MGF sports car, Land Rover Freelander and third generation Range Rover.
After a spell at Ford Motor Company heading up Lincoln-Mercury, McGovern returned to the UK to run a design consultancy in London before rejoining Land Rover in 2004 as Director, Advanced Design. He was appointed Land Rover Design Director in 2006 and his position has since grown to include the role of Chief Creative Officer and he is an Executive member of the Jaguar Land Rover Board.
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