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Design
@ Frankfurt IAA .Sept 1999
This year's marathon trek around the palaces of automotive excellence bore witness to the Battle of the Empire. VW Group, Ford Group, Daimler Chrysler and BMW fighting for centre stage, all looking to develop the design identity of brands within their domain.
VW in their first 'Hall', featured the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost as you entered the hall, then tucked the Silver Seraph away in a quiet corner, in order to concentrate on their own Bentley and Bugatti brands, that sat awkwardly just across from the Lupo, Polo and Golf. The Bugatti V18 Chiron used all the classic marque cues; Horseshoe Grille, 8 spoke alloys with rivets on the rim and the 'Atlante' centre body spine. Nevertheless they still didn't manage to capture the Bugatti spirit - it was just too big and clumsy.
The range topping VW Concept D faired little better. This was a 'Beetle meets Bugatti affair', that appeared to have been left connected to the tyre- pump too long. Larger than even the Mercedes S class, it leaves you asking whether people want such a large 'hatchback' styled executive saloon? Surely the lessons learnt from the Passat have proven that. It did feature nice clean crisp detailing throughout, but it still lacked the 'class' feel of the BMW, even with the chrome pedals and wood rim steering wheel.
In their second 'Hall' Audi proved to be the 'Best in Breed'. Their show stand was refined and full of atmosphere. 'Silver' A3, A4, A6 and the Le Mans racing car welcomed you into the design-led culture. With the A2 shining out as a pure example of the A6 and TT theme developed for the everyday 'common' man. As for the A2 interior, here, every design student should take note, (as should a few other quality brand manufacturers). Here was a perfect execution of functional, solid and precision engineered product, that you feel will only ever squeak the day the car crusher finally takes it to it's final resting place.
Nearby the launch of the Skoda Fabia exhibited the VW Groups design finesse filtering down through the brands. The exterior was crisp, well balanced and clean, an Armani suit at Woolworth prices. Although it was let down in my mind by it's facia, which, although the VW parts bin had supplied and fitted all the right quality switches and knobs, the facia grain appeared to be straight off an old Zenit camera.................shame.
Over at Daimler-Chrysler the cavernous hall beckoned you passed monitors playing Jaques Tati's 'Traffic' and Ryan O'Neal's Mercedes smashing 'Driver', up and up and eventually down and down, passed the S Klasse, E, C, A, V etc etc onto the SLR Roadster.
Now I can understand that Mercedes Benz are very proud of the efforts of Messrs Hakkinen and Coulthard, and of their gull wing racer of the '50's. This new SLR appears to be the ultimate 'Toad of Toad Hall' machine, that seemingly will trample on any oily plebian that dares enter the overtaking lane of the autobahn. Yes, I do think it has areas of beauty and detailing, but taking a long hard look at it, really brings you back to your senses......it's gross!
On the flipside the Chrysler Java, their 'A' Klasse based Euro car concept, was clean and crisp, featured the Chrysler LH family grille and stood out as a very desirable family car- was it really designed by Americans? If so well done!
The huge banner outside the Ford Motor Company Hall, featured like trophies on the 'Great white hunter's wall', all the respected brands that they have the responsibility to now nurture and develop. The signs are hopeful. The FC5 fuel cell car, showed a hint of the imminent Focus MPV.
Mazda showed off a pair of 'Edge design' developments, the Neospace and Nextover and at Jaguar there was the curiously coloured (1969 Ford Escort?), Green metallic F1 racer. I'm sure that this colour was probably designed for TV, to ensure contrast with the current crop of red, silver and blues, but I have to admit to feeling a little disappointed that it wasn't a Jaguar 'Quality' green.
The 'Great white headhunters' have done their bit too. Ian Callum at Jaguar (and Aston Martin) should easily pick up the baton of the late Geoff Lawson and produce vehicles that move on from the S-types 'nearlyness'. Peter Horbury's Volvo's are fresh and well balanced. Chris Bird and Jay Mays will take the raw 'Edge Design' culture and breed in some of the Audi solidarity and surface quality to their next generation designs. Gerry McGovern, the new Mr Lincoln, with his team of ex-Rover boys have a mammoth task ahead to redefine American luxury. My only advice is avoid the 'opera'; window if you can, remember what happened to the last Mr Lincoln.
Renault-Nissan showed the all new Almera, it was somewhere on their stand, as was an excellent chocolate pudding. I preferred the pudding.
Renault had the Scenic RX4 4 x 4 MPV on show, and very effective it was too. The strong and practical bumpers and cladding mouldings 'Tonka'd' up the ordinary Scenic to take on the 'Freelander' types head to head.
Then there was the Avantime, I have to admit, until I see one on the road to make a final judgement. I can't understand who will buy this vehicle. Unlike the Espace, it has only 2 doors, so access to the rear is hardly for the chauffeured city gent. It's not a Mercedes M Class for the city farmer/country types. If it's not a Grand tourer of the Volvo C70 type, it doesn't have the grace and proportion. It's just plain odd ball.
PSA had the production Picasso MPV on show, it should fair well against the Scenic and Tino brigade, it is as bland as they are. Citroen 'multi lifestyle' Pluriel was pretty, and alongside the C6 Lignage shows very clearly the design language being developed in Paris. A taught, soft, yet crisp style, clean and simple with the headlamp jewellery being positioned high upon the front fender, which all seems to work very well.
GM had their 'Pack' dotted all over the halls, but in Hall 8, which was one of the few that felt like a 'real' motor show, Opel showed off centre stage the handsome C70/Calibra inspired Astra Coupe, the spiritual Lotus/Opel Speedster, and a crisp, clean G90 concept car (the future face of Astra?). At first I walked passed it with only a cursory glance. As you delve deeper, the G90 design appeared to reveal more soul. Large wheels, Kamm tail, strange 'Lego' headlamps, and a sharp yet tactile interior, featuring a twin chronograph type instrument pack -.................. .....very pleasant indeed.
In the rest of the 'real' Motor Show, Toyota new MR2 looked awkward. A crisp styled exterior with a strange balance and proportion. The same could be said for the new Celica. Although that should not stop them being sold by the 'bucket load'.
The new Fiat Punto, an eccentric half brother to the outgoing model, is 'crisper' and 'tauter', making the 206 look quirky and the Fiesta facelift dated. But it lacks the visual strength of the Polo or the originality of the A Klasse generation. A few years ago Fiats were 'Fun', yet a little weird, now they have lost the 'Fun'.
Mitsubishi showed their concept cars, SUW Compact and SUW Advance but their design lacked any real emotion, even feeling a little like a new Mini rip off in places.
Hall 9, once the hall where the latest Japanese creation would 'wow' the Frankfurt Show, was the saddest!! Daewoo showed a strange, yet reasonably balanced pair of Tacoma derivatives. Daihatsu showed the gawky looking NCX-2 Micro MPV with chrome wheels, and a chrome lower front grille, nicked off a Smart.
Kia proved that there are just so many ways to make a boxy MPV type vehicle, look no more interesting than a discarded pack of Aldi cornflakes, and then Suzuki saved the day ......well nearly with an interesting concept car MR Wagon which showed that a micro MPV could have a pleasant face and not be quirky.
OK, so which car would I like to drive home in. Well it's a straight fight between the cute Smart Roadster which, having driven all over Germany that week in its City Coupe cousin, is bound to be a cheap thrill a minute. Then there was the Lotus 340R, loads of fun, the automotive equivalent of 'Scary Spice', with attitude.
But ultimately the Lotus M250 would be the car to be seen in, and sit for hours admiring it in your driveway. Russell Carr and his team have created a classic, that I'm sure that has even has the late Colin Chapman, smiling with pride.
As for the car I wouldn't be seen dead in, well that was easy. Alongside the gorgeous exquisitely detailed Z8 was, centrestage, the Z9 - oh dear!
As VW, D/C and Ford all manage to find their own design direction. BMW seem to aim firmly at their own feet. The Z9 made the Mercedes SLR look attractive. It made the Bugatti look light weight and the Lotus look simply fragile. A behemoth, struggling to use BMW carefully finessed styling cues, but somehow in all the wrong ways. The front was heavy and ill proportioned. The grille too large and the lamps too small. As you moved rearwards it seemed to get worse. The rear lamps were lost on the gently sloping rear fenders, as they were grossly overshadowed by the rear deck lid, that only suggested one image. The least attractive part of a duck! I can only hope that this car was one of those 'in between' efforts designers go through as they struggle to create what is eventually a beautiful design, but this should have never left the studio..... I know that they can do far better, the M3 shows us that.
BMW, amongst their 'trophies' also had the Land Rover divisions Concept SVX 4x4, which in reality takes a lead from the Viper/Cobra, the Prowler/Hot Rod, and builds a mass produced 'Forest of Dean' special. Get it muddy - hose it down. 'Fun' 'fun' 'fun'!!
So what did Frankfurt really show us of the latest Design trends. Exterior shapes have become crisp with flowing smooth surfaces, controlled by taught, even sharp feature lines. Details such as lamps are becoming more jewel like. The wheels; larger still, crisp and hewn from solid. Inside, the colours are silvers and brights. Crisp surface shapes, 'chronograph' type detailing of switches and dials and the increased use of 'fabrics' on upper surfaces, to replace the harsh plastics. The instrumentation tends more and more often being grouped as either individual pods or in a cluster of hardware in the centre of the facia top. But the overriding statement was Quality, quality of materials, textures and feel.
So as we approach year 2000 when we will seem to spend much more time stationary in our cars, at least the space in which we are sat has been designed to provide an air of quality and pleasure as we stare out at 'Gridlock'.
Steve Harper
This year's marathon trek around the palaces of automotive excellence bore witness to the Battle of the Empire. VW Group, Ford Group, Daimler Chrysler and BMW fighting for centre stage, all looking to develop the design identity of brands within their domain.
VW in their first 'Hall', featured the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost as you entered the hall, then tucked the Silver Seraph away in a quiet corner, in order to concentrate on their own Bentley and Bugatti brands, that sat awkwardly just across from the Lupo, Polo and Golf. The Bugatti V18 Chiron used all the classic marque cues; Horseshoe Grille, 8 spoke alloys with rivets on the rim and the 'Atlante' centre body spine. Nevertheless they still didn't manage to capture the Bugatti spirit - it was just too big and clumsy.
The range topping VW Concept D faired little better. This was a 'Beetle meets Bugatti affair', that appeared to have been left connected to the tyre- pump too long. Larger than even the Mercedes S class, it leaves you asking whether people want such a large 'hatchback' styled executive saloon? Surely the lessons learnt from the Passat have proven that. It did feature nice clean crisp detailing throughout, but it still lacked the 'class' feel of the BMW, even with the chrome pedals and wood rim steering wheel.
In their second 'Hall' Audi proved to be the 'Best in Breed'. Their show stand was refined and full of atmosphere. 'Silver' A3, A4, A6 and the Le Mans racing car welcomed you into the design-led culture. With the A2 shining out as a pure example of the A6 and TT theme developed for the everyday 'common' man. As for the A2 interior, here, every design student should take note, (as should a few other quality brand manufacturers). Here was a perfect execution of functional, solid and precision engineered product, that you feel will only ever squeak the day the car crusher finally takes it to it's final resting place.
Nearby the launch of the Skoda Fabia exhibited the VW Groups design finesse filtering down through the brands. The exterior was crisp, well balanced and clean, an Armani suit at Woolworth prices. Although it was let down in my mind by it's facia, which, although the VW parts bin had supplied and fitted all the right quality switches and knobs, the facia grain appeared to be straight off an old Zenit camera.................shame.
Over at Daimler-Chrysler the cavernous hall beckoned you passed monitors playing Jaques Tati's 'Traffic' and Ryan O'Neal's Mercedes smashing 'Driver', up and up and eventually down and down, passed the S Klasse, E, C, A, V etc etc onto the SLR Roadster.
Now I can understand that Mercedes Benz are very proud of the efforts of Messrs Hakkinen and Coulthard, and of their gull wing racer of the '50's. This new SLR appears to be the ultimate 'Toad of Toad Hall' machine, that seemingly will trample on any oily plebian that dares enter the overtaking lane of the autobahn. Yes, I do think it has areas of beauty and detailing, but taking a long hard look at it, really brings you back to your senses......it's gross!
On the flipside the Chrysler Java, their 'A' Klasse based Euro car concept, was clean and crisp, featured the Chrysler LH family grille and stood out as a very desirable family car- was it really designed by Americans? If so well done!
The huge banner outside the Ford Motor Company Hall, featured like trophies on the 'Great white hunter's wall', all the respected brands that they have the responsibility to now nurture and develop. The signs are hopeful. The FC5 fuel cell car, showed a hint of the imminent Focus MPV.
Mazda showed off a pair of 'Edge design' developments, the Neospace and Nextover and at Jaguar there was the curiously coloured (1969 Ford Escort?), Green metallic F1 racer. I'm sure that this colour was probably designed for TV, to ensure contrast with the current crop of red, silver and blues, but I have to admit to feeling a little disappointed that it wasn't a Jaguar 'Quality' green.
The 'Great white headhunters' have done their bit too. Ian Callum at Jaguar (and Aston Martin) should easily pick up the baton of the late Geoff Lawson and produce vehicles that move on from the S-types 'nearlyness'. Peter Horbury's Volvo's are fresh and well balanced. Chris Bird and Jay Mays will take the raw 'Edge Design' culture and breed in some of the Audi solidarity and surface quality to their next generation designs. Gerry McGovern, the new Mr Lincoln, with his team of ex-Rover boys have a mammoth task ahead to redefine American luxury. My only advice is avoid the 'opera'; window if you can, remember what happened to the last Mr Lincoln.
Renault-Nissan showed the all new Almera, it was somewhere on their stand, as was an excellent chocolate pudding. I preferred the pudding.
Renault had the Scenic RX4 4 x 4 MPV on show, and very effective it was too. The strong and practical bumpers and cladding mouldings 'Tonka'd' up the ordinary Scenic to take on the 'Freelander' types head to head.
Then there was the Avantime, I have to admit, until I see one on the road to make a final judgement. I can't understand who will buy this vehicle. Unlike the Espace, it has only 2 doors, so access to the rear is hardly for the chauffeured city gent. It's not a Mercedes M Class for the city farmer/country types. If it's not a Grand tourer of the Volvo C70 type, it doesn't have the grace and proportion. It's just plain odd ball.
PSA had the production Picasso MPV on show, it should fair well against the Scenic and Tino brigade, it is as bland as they are. Citroen 'multi lifestyle' Pluriel was pretty, and alongside the C6 Lignage shows very clearly the design language being developed in Paris. A taught, soft, yet crisp style, clean and simple with the headlamp jewellery being positioned high upon the front fender, which all seems to work very well.
GM had their 'Pack' dotted all over the halls, but in Hall 8, which was one of the few that felt like a 'real' motor show, Opel showed off centre stage the handsome C70/Calibra inspired Astra Coupe, the spiritual Lotus/Opel Speedster, and a crisp, clean G90 concept car (the future face of Astra?). At first I walked passed it with only a cursory glance. As you delve deeper, the G90 design appeared to reveal more soul. Large wheels, Kamm tail, strange 'Lego' headlamps, and a sharp yet tactile interior, featuring a twin chronograph type instrument pack -.................. .....very pleasant indeed.
In the rest of the 'real' Motor Show, Toyota new MR2 looked awkward. A crisp styled exterior with a strange balance and proportion. The same could be said for the new Celica. Although that should not stop them being sold by the 'bucket load'.
The new Fiat Punto, an eccentric half brother to the outgoing model, is 'crisper' and 'tauter', making the 206 look quirky and the Fiesta facelift dated. But it lacks the visual strength of the Polo or the originality of the A Klasse generation. A few years ago Fiats were 'Fun', yet a little weird, now they have lost the 'Fun'.
Mitsubishi showed their concept cars, SUW Compact and SUW Advance but their design lacked any real emotion, even feeling a little like a new Mini rip off in places.
Hall 9, once the hall where the latest Japanese creation would 'wow' the Frankfurt Show, was the saddest!! Daewoo showed a strange, yet reasonably balanced pair of Tacoma derivatives. Daihatsu showed the gawky looking NCX-2 Micro MPV with chrome wheels, and a chrome lower front grille, nicked off a Smart.
Kia proved that there are just so many ways to make a boxy MPV type vehicle, look no more interesting than a discarded pack of Aldi cornflakes, and then Suzuki saved the day ......well nearly with an interesting concept car MR Wagon which showed that a micro MPV could have a pleasant face and not be quirky.
OK, so which car would I like to drive home in. Well it's a straight fight between the cute Smart Roadster which, having driven all over Germany that week in its City Coupe cousin, is bound to be a cheap thrill a minute. Then there was the Lotus 340R, loads of fun, the automotive equivalent of 'Scary Spice', with attitude.
But ultimately the Lotus M250 would be the car to be seen in, and sit for hours admiring it in your driveway. Russell Carr and his team have created a classic, that I'm sure that has even has the late Colin Chapman, smiling with pride.
As for the car I wouldn't be seen dead in, well that was easy. Alongside the gorgeous exquisitely detailed Z8 was, centrestage, the Z9 - oh dear!
As VW, D/C and Ford all manage to find their own design direction. BMW seem to aim firmly at their own feet. The Z9 made the Mercedes SLR look attractive. It made the Bugatti look light weight and the Lotus look simply fragile. A behemoth, struggling to use BMW carefully finessed styling cues, but somehow in all the wrong ways. The front was heavy and ill proportioned. The grille too large and the lamps too small. As you moved rearwards it seemed to get worse. The rear lamps were lost on the gently sloping rear fenders, as they were grossly overshadowed by the rear deck lid, that only suggested one image. The least attractive part of a duck! I can only hope that this car was one of those 'in between' efforts designers go through as they struggle to create what is eventually a beautiful design, but this should have never left the studio..... I know that they can do far better, the M3 shows us that.
BMW, amongst their 'trophies' also had the Land Rover divisions Concept SVX 4x4, which in reality takes a lead from the Viper/Cobra, the Prowler/Hot Rod, and builds a mass produced 'Forest of Dean' special. Get it muddy - hose it down. 'Fun' 'fun' 'fun'!!
So what did Frankfurt really show us of the latest Design trends. Exterior shapes have become crisp with flowing smooth surfaces, controlled by taught, even sharp feature lines. Details such as lamps are becoming more jewel like. The wheels; larger still, crisp and hewn from solid. Inside, the colours are silvers and brights. Crisp surface shapes, 'chronograph' type detailing of switches and dials and the increased use of 'fabrics' on upper surfaces, to replace the harsh plastics. The instrumentation tends more and more often being grouped as either individual pods or in a cluster of hardware in the centre of the facia top. But the overriding statement was Quality, quality of materials, textures and feel.
So as we approach year 2000 when we will seem to spend much more time stationary in our cars, at least the space in which we are sat has been designed to provide an air of quality and pleasure as we stare out at 'Gridlock'.
Steve Harper
