AussieMike
Member
Have we reached the end of automotive styling?
As I look at the new cars on the market today, everything seems to be so very conservatively styled. Forget the supercars, and hyper-expensive exotics, look at how bland the mass market has become. To be honest, I don't think there is a new car available on the market today that would look all that out of place if it had been released 10, or even 15 years ago. Headlights have become a lot more integrated with the front end, plastics are of a higher quality, and every brand has a "corporate" nose that they fit to every car in their range (no matter if it doesn't look good for all of them). But nothing looks all that different to cars released in the mid '90s.
Maybe that is why retro designs have become so popular, because there is nothing new with "new" designs.
The '50s gave us tailfins and chrome to excess. The '60s was about fuselage styling, inspired by the jet age. In the '70s just about everything had a "Coke-bottle" belt line (even the Cortina had the famous swoop). The '80s was all hard edges and straight lines. In the '90s everything was inspired by organic shapes, ovals, and curves. Since then, we haven't really moved on to the "next big thing."
Car styling has become stuck in a rut.
I want to be excited by a new car. I want to see something radical. I want to be shocked. Hell, I'm beginning to wish there were more ugly cars around. I don't want to become an old fart that starts every discussion by saying "Things were better, back in the day..." It's nearly the end of 2010, and cars still look the same as those made in 1990.
The technology of engines and drivelines continues to move forward. Interior design has come a long way, combining aesthetics with function, and advancing technology. Why has exterior design stayed so static?
As I look at the new cars on the market today, everything seems to be so very conservatively styled. Forget the supercars, and hyper-expensive exotics, look at how bland the mass market has become. To be honest, I don't think there is a new car available on the market today that would look all that out of place if it had been released 10, or even 15 years ago. Headlights have become a lot more integrated with the front end, plastics are of a higher quality, and every brand has a "corporate" nose that they fit to every car in their range (no matter if it doesn't look good for all of them). But nothing looks all that different to cars released in the mid '90s.
Maybe that is why retro designs have become so popular, because there is nothing new with "new" designs.
The '50s gave us tailfins and chrome to excess. The '60s was about fuselage styling, inspired by the jet age. In the '70s just about everything had a "Coke-bottle" belt line (even the Cortina had the famous swoop). The '80s was all hard edges and straight lines. In the '90s everything was inspired by organic shapes, ovals, and curves. Since then, we haven't really moved on to the "next big thing."
Car styling has become stuck in a rut.
I want to be excited by a new car. I want to see something radical. I want to be shocked. Hell, I'm beginning to wish there were more ugly cars around. I don't want to become an old fart that starts every discussion by saying "Things were better, back in the day..." It's nearly the end of 2010, and cars still look the same as those made in 1990.
The technology of engines and drivelines continues to move forward. Interior design has come a long way, combining aesthetics with function, and advancing technology. Why has exterior design stayed so static?