Smart Crossblade in the open air
When the prototype was unveiled at the Geneva Show in 2001, few may have imagined that it would make its way onto the roads in just over a year. In the event, the Smart Crossblade, [...]
Bertone Novanta provoking the future
One of Nuccio Bertone's great virtues was his courageous trail-blazing, his willingness to let his designers explore new possibilities in the attempt to stay a step ahead of the field. Even today, a Bertone-designed body [...]
Citroën C3 – Luminous lineage
The nostalgic would like to view the C3 as the heir to the legendary 2CV. Actually, the new Citroën owes its distinctive looks and personality to the courage of its in-house designer. It all started [...]
Design Variety
The Toyota Motor Corporation will never lead the field in standardised design but it has an unfailing gift for innovatively surprising ideas."This has been a century of unparalleled exploration in search of new life styles [...]
Tokyo 2001 – Più serio che faceto
Negli ultimi dieci o vent'anni ogni salone dell’automobile di rilievo ha sviluppato un proprio carattere. Detroit presenta poche concept car, da cui però derivano spesso i modelli di serie. Francoforte è il trampolino di lancio [...]
Honda – Back to the beginnings
"This year Honda has decided to go back to its roots", declares Nobuki Ebisawa, senior chief engineer at the Honda R&D Centre in Wako, Japan. "In 1964 we made our market debut with the S600, [...]
Nissan Design – Rebirth of an image
The creation and promotion of a powerful brand image was Step One in Nissan's programme for the relaunch and revival of its entire design operation. That programme goes hand-in-hand with the Nissan Revival Plan announced [...]
Nissan Design – Rebirth of an image
The creation and promotion of a powerful brand image was Step One in Nissan's programme for the relaunch and revival of its entire design operation. That programme goes hand-in-hand with the Nissan Revival Plan announced [...]
Renault Talisman – Simplified complexity
From the outside, it looks like a generously proportioned grand tourer, an assembly of broad geometrical surfaces. The real message of the Talisman, Renault's latest concept car, is to be sought elsewhere: in the cabin [...]
Renault Vel Satis – Culture of freedom
We went to meet Patrick Le Quément, Director of Design Industriel Renault, to find out how the Vel Satis, the company's turnaround model, came into being, and what its innovative matrix consists of. "The Renault [...]