Table of contents for No. 156 in AUTO & DESIGN

A bold evolutionary step in keeping with the brand’s new image, yet one which remains faithful to the essence of what has become an icon for the four-ringed marque. This is the spirit of the second generation Audi, which is scheduled for launch at Geneva and previewed as a teaser prototype, the Shooting Brake Concept, at Tokyo. Walter de’ Silva does not want to give away too much about the upcoming production model, which we’ll be seeing in the showrooms in spring 2006. “When I became the director of Audi Brand Group design in 2002, they were just building the first proportion models. We first focused on transferring the new frontal image onto the volumes of the TT. For the moment, I can only say that it will be an…

While it is true that rationalisation enhances creativity, as maintained by the company’s founder Franco Mantegazza, the latest evolution of I.DE.A Institute marks the start of a new venture into the increasingly demanding and competitive market of automotive design. Established in 1978 in an elegant villa in the hills of Moncalieri, just outside Turin, for years the business has measured its success by opening new branches, reaching a total of six at the last count. The current managing director Paolo Caccamo, with the direct support of the parent company Ritter – a multinational component manufacturer – has solved the problem of functionality by gathering five of the six branches under a single roof: the only branch remaining separate is I.DE.A-3, the home of the advanced design division with its own…

A car built around the driver, in the most literal sense of the idea. The Sassou concept car presented by Mazda at the most recent edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show is based on a philosophy where form and function are developed around the human factor. The actual user of the car is now no longer considered merely an element to be somehow fitted into a beautiful shell conceived by creativeness alone, but, rather, as the source of inspiration for the entire design process. As head of design for the project Luca Zollino explains: “We were given no brief for the design, no instructions for its styling: we were simply asked to develop a three-door B-segment concept for a city car with a decisive sports character. We started from the…

The IS – the latest saloon from Toyota’s premium brand – may have been defined by Lexus’ new ‘L-finesse’ philosophy, but it is electronic supremacy and outstanding build quality that leave the most lasting impression of this car, which is pitched against rivals such as the Mercedes C Class, BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Alfa Romeo 159. The new car is longer and taller (by 175 and 75 mm respectively) than the outgoing model, with an impressive Cd of 0.27, due to aerodynamic work that even extended under the floorpan, and is available with a choice of two engines: a V6, 2.5 litre petrol (208 bhp) and a 2.2 litre turbodiesel (177 bhp), both driving the rear wheels. Through a combination of a long wheelbase, pronounced wheelarches and short…

Visteon has opened a new innovation and design centre, called „Auto Envision“ in Germany. The new thinktank is accommodated within the medieval moated castle of Hemmersbach near Kerpen to the west of Cologne. The buildings once belonged to the family of famous racing driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips. In November of last year Visteon moved its new design centre – which before had been between Northern France (Harnes) and England (Dunton) – to the scenic place. 13 designers from eight different nationalities are now working in this inspiring environment. “The philosophy of the new Auto Envision Centre is to take a holistic design approach that puts the vehicle end user at the core of the process“, Mathias Huettenrauch, director of global marketing for Visteon, says. “The designers here should…

The fifth edition of the Stile Italiano Giovani (Italian Youth Designer) awards has been opened at Turin. The competition was created in 1998 by the ANFIA coachbuilders’ association (a national association of automotive constructors), to discover and promote talent in automotive design. Over the years, the event has acquired international status. For example, in addition to young Italians, the winners of last year’s edition also included designers from Poland, France, Greece and Israel. Indeed, the last edition boasted foreign participants from 25 different countries. The 2006 edition is open to all young designers between the ages of 16 and 28 from all over the world who are currently professionally employed in automotive design. Participants must submit brand new designs developing exterior or interior projects for any type of automobile. The…

The initial impact on entering the Ferrari gallery is awe-inspiring: twenty models, almost all red, lined up as if they were on a starting grid, surrounded by a group of enthusiastic and excited students, who were both moved and a little overcome by the importance of the occasion. I myself cannot hide my own personal interest in this initiative. I’ve been personally involved in many Ferrari projects and I am fully aware of the pressures involved in the choice and development of style, the doubts that almost overwhelm designers and the difficulties in reconciling two objectives, which always remain the same: creating an original and innovative design which, at the same time, is also clearly a Ferrari. I wondered if this group of talented young would-be designers, who had worked…

We spoke to Shiro Nakamura, head of Nissan design for the past seven years, just after he’d taken a first look at all the new offerings at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. Here, where even Western manufacturers were trying to show off their most imaginative and innovative side, the dominant theme in automotive design, for cars destined for both the national and the international market, was one of a distinct ‘Japanese-ness’. We asked Nakamura: what makes a car ‘Japanese’ in general terms and, more specifically, for Nissan? “Many aspects, irrespective of those strictly related to the culture of our country. Originality does not necessarily mean reinventing traditions. For example, the GT-R is truly very ‘Japanese’, but rather in the sense that it bears many references to modern Japan, such as…

With the W.O.W. (an acronym for the bizarre name ‘Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon’), Honda design has catered specifically for drivers who travel with their dogs. This is a much neglected area as, although millions of people take small pets along with them when they drive, cars are only designed for passengers and luggage. “We carried out a survey lasting over four years before starting this project, gathering the requests and opinions of users through our website”, explain Katsuhito Nakamura and Kota Hagiwara, the respective designers for the exterior and interior of the W.O.W., citing that Honda has already dealt with this theme in the past, with the ‘Travel Dog’ version of its Vamos Hobio MPV. This is the first time, however, that a canine passenger “was an integral part of the…

“After fifty years and hundreds of cars, just one was still missing”, was Giorgetto Giugiaro’s explanation for the GG50, the Ferrari he unveiled at the Tokyo Show to celebrate half a century of his work in the design industry. This is not entirely true, however: back in 1962, when he worked for Carrozzeria Bertone, he had already designed a 250GT, which Nuccio Bertone used as his own personal car. “To celebrate my fifty years in the business, I wanted to build a Ferrari that I could use with my family”, he says. The name of the car, based on a 612 Scaglietti, says it all: GG50, where GG stands for Giorgetto Giugiaro and 50 for the number of years of his career. The GG50 carries over the entire running gear…

Toyota’s ED2 European design centre in Nice, France, not only focuses on tomorrow’s production models but also aims to create concept visions for the longer term. So Endo, the 3 metre city car which debuted at the Frankfurt IAA, is not a stand-alone exercise. It is ED2’s third concept following the 2003 sporty hybrid model CS&S, and the dynamic youngster’s vehicle, Motor Triathlon Race Car, of 2004. But Endo is more realistic. Within a 3 metres exterior length, interior space for four adults has been achieved, thanks to a high (152cm) and wide (169cm) architecture. Designed by Frenchman Laurent Bouzige, Endo applies Toyota’s vibrant clarity to city transportation. It is a very transparent concept indeed, yet with nice, dynamic proportions. “We actually made two [static mock up] models,” Tokuo Fukuichi,…

At the centre of it all is that immediately recognisable new face created by Walter de’ Silva for the Nuvolari Quattro concept car, which now distinguishes all Audis. The “single frame” grille is the key element in the fresh new look for the new version of the A4 Cabriolet. The trapezoid headlights, bonnet and surfaces of the front of the bodywork have all been harmoniously remodelled around this feature. Of course, the design team from Ingolstadt have not confined their attentions to the front alone in defining the overall character of the car, and every single aspect of the design has been honed to flow harmoniously from the grille all the way to the tail. Even the soft top is a harmonious and attractive element as well as an extremely…

Since its launch in 2004, BMW has put over 110,000 examples of its X3 on the road, turning them out at a rate of 400 units per day from its Magna Steyr assembly line in Graz, Austria, which is also the home city of the Fh-Joanneum University of Applied Sciences. Over and above this geographical proximity, the university and BMW also share a relationship which began when Andreas Wolfsgruber, director of the Magna design studio, decided to include the industrial design course in the BMW-Magna network. This year, the partnership between the two companies has led to the development of six concept cars designed by the students of industrial design. “With this project”, explains Jürgen Haussmann, a BMW designer who worked on the development of the 5, 6 and 7…

First there’s the Ferrari name, which is enough on its own to command respect, then there are four of the best schools in the world, but most importantly, there is an added element that has set this initiative apart from the usual design competitions conducted around the world. “New concepts of a legend” was perhaps the most highly publicised and successful design competition in recent years. This was not only because of the prestige of the names involved, but also because the rules of the competition and the way in which it was handled allowed the students to broach the confines of that hallowed temple – between Pininfarina in Turin and Maranello – where Ferraris have traditionally always seen the light, with the permission – indeed support – of the…

There was an air of sober reality about the Tokyo motor show this year. For the first time in a couple of decades, almost every car on display was rational, feasible and at least slightly practical. Surreal, totally frivolous “concepts” were conspicuous by their absence. There were a few charmingly silly objects with no future — the electric Nissan Pivo with its rotating, spherical cabin was perhaps the most extreme — but only a few, not the plethora we are used to seeing at the Makuhari Messe. Even the Honda W.O.W. (Wonderful Openhearted Wagon) with its specific niches for dogs was perfectly straightforward in its styling, and might well be on sale very soon, with or without integrated kennels. Most of the concept cars were much closer to potential production…

This was one of the biggest surprises from the West at Tokyo, and it soon became – with its vivid yellow livery and fiery little sports car temperament – the centre of attention at the Volkswagen stand. A far cry from the usual design offerings from Wolfsburg, the EcoRacer is a well executed fusion of technology, ecology and unbridled driving fun in the guise of an intriguing coupé-roadster-speedster chameleon. Weighing in at only 850 Kg, the little concept car is propelled by its 136 bhp turbodiesel engine up to a top speed of 230 Km/h and yet, most impressively, burns only 3.4 litres of fuel to cover 100 kilometres. This balance between sports car performance and extreme fuel economy formed the basis for both the engineering and the design of…

A vivid yellow livery exuding energy, sleek, aerodynamic lines evocative of the original spirit of the marque and an unusual, non-conformist cabin. The C-Sportlounge is Citroën’s liberal interpretation of the GT genre, in a concept car that has been “created with no agenda other than the radical rejuvenation of the brand” explains design chief Jean-Pierre Ploué, stressing that this is no preview of a forthcoming production model, as many had speculated at its debut in Frankfurt, but rather, a purely conceptual styling study. “Products such as the C2 and the C3 have worked extremely well in this direction. Now that we’ve also unveiled our flagship with the C6, the only thing missing from the range is a car with a powerful visual impact, one that is dynamic yet focused –…

The soul may be Japanese but the style – in some aspects, at least – is Italian. To create the new Honda Civic, the eighth incarnation of a car which, in 33 years, has notched up 16.5 million sales, Toshiyuki Okumoto spent many long months in Milan. In his own words, this was “to complete the car’s strong, decisive personality and to bring me closer to European culture, to help me better understand its needs”. Okumoto was chief of exterior design: “Our goal”, he explains, illustrating his latest creation, which is specifically targeted at Europe, “was to build a car with Japanese DNA, yet capable of carving a place for itself in the competitive European market. This was why I decided to spend time in Milan, to find inspiration for…

The design of articles generally destined to furnish urban and domestic outdoor spaces is not always of a particularly high standard, in spite of a greater interest from designers and manufacturers in recent years. Serralunga, an established plastics manufacturer in the Biella area, has taken a significant step in this direction. After the introduction of rotary technology, the company progressed from the production of flower pots modelled on terracotta articles to the ‘Vaso di Pandora’ range in 2000, inaugurating a lasting relationship with a number of designers. These first pots in recyclable polyethylene designed by, among others, Alberto Meda, Paolo Rizzatto, Denis Santachiara, Luisa Bocchietto and Rodolfo Dordoni, were followed by a variety of other, mainly domestic outdoor products, involving the collaboration of young designers. These include chairs, benches, tables,…

SangYong extends its already successful range with an all-new model, the Kyron, which offers all the versatility of a crossover, the robustness of a real off-roader and the frugality of a powerful 2.0 litre diesel engine, developed especially for Western markets. The innovative exterior design accentuates the image of the brand and steers the style of the Korean marque towards a new generation of vehicles planned for the near future. In this car, the Pyungtaek design centre has developed a concept that brings together the personality of a coupé, the elegance of a sports saloon and the dynamism of a modern SUV. Ken Greenly, the British designer who penned the Musso and Korando, and who participated in the development of the Kyron project, defines his creation as “a new standard…