Frankfurt show, cut down to grow
Do you remember the 1980s, when the first thing they mentioned when launching a new car was its Cd? Achieving the lowest possible drag coefficient was something to boast about and the figure was listed [...]
BMW 1 Coupé, the timing of a concept
“This isn’t just an additional model to the 1 Series range, we’ve been planning the Coupé since the start”, begins a straight-talking Chris Bangle at the unveiling of the new sports model at Frankfurt. “This [...]
Fiat, creative workshop
Originally it was a machining centre, a place where things were ‘done’, where objects took shape. Nowadays, Workshop 83 in Turin’s Mirafiori is the new headquarters of Fiat Automobiles’ Style Centre, an expression of all [...]
Audi A5, validating an intuition
Just as the nascent Audi A5 was about to be signed off, Walter de’ Silva asked the management for a little more time. Not much more, just another month, but decisive in getting the design [...]
Cover story – Ford Mondeo, under the sign of kinetic energy
In presenting the Iosis concept two years ago at Frankfurt, Ford’s designers promised that the new Mondeo was to be more dynamic and emotive and a product of the Kinetic Design philosophy expressed by the [...]
Design story – Maserati Granturismo, romantically Maserati
A great trident set in the centre of an oval grille, a lean, sinuous body with boldly flared arches and a tail view that is all new yet still consistent with the image of the [...]
New, as long as it’s Smart
Presented at the last Bologna Motor Show, the new generation two-seater Smart has been completely renewed, although all the iconic features that have made it so distinctive have been retained. “When the management handed us [...]
Coventry/Corus, beyond the four wheels
“When I started as Renault style director in 1987, the activities of the centre were jokingly divided into exterior design and inferior design. Many things have changed since then”. This anecdote came from Patrick Le [...]
Fiat Bravo, a return to expression
To create a real Italian car again, the sort of car that appeals both at home and abroad because it is highly expressive yet simple, with a design and proportions that are instantly pleasing. This [...]
Citroën C4 Picasso and C-Metisse Concept inspiration and reason
The dream of extreme sportiness and everyday life, fantasy and reality, the forcefulness of a flattish shape and the huge spaces in an MPV. Among the most appreciated novelties at the Paris Show, the two [...]