The Automotive Design World Needs to Wake Up!
The designers in charge of shaping the vehicles of the future are trapped in a gilded cage.
Over the last 10 years, we have witnessed a huge shift in how we perceive personal mobility. The idea of a car being a way to get from point A to point B is no longer the case and companies have failed to respond in a way that resonates with its customer base. This has trapped many automotive designers in a tug of war between staying true to company ideals and trying to integrate emerging technology into their designs.
Getting My Feet Wet
My first job as a professional automotive designer took me to Germany where I learned what it took to design and build a vehicle. As a design team, we had endless discussions regarding how a car “sat on its wheels”, vehicle proportions, the volume of shapes and surfaces, and brand identity. Legacy car companies pour countless hours and money figuring out how far they can push the needle forward while still being brand recognizable. And there’s the rub. Car brands struggle to evolve because they are shackled to their past.
Whether it was internal company design reviews or hosting focus groups around the world, one thing seldomly mentioned was the idea of vertical integration. Designers were never involved or informed of this process until the very end (in some cases). Very few people knew about it and not many talked about it. It felt more like an afterthought.
Striving for 21st Century Results with a 20th Century Approach
How automotive designers are utilized in most automotive companies can be traced back to the 20th century when designers were called “stylists”. These were the days when designers shaped wings onto the rear fenders of cars or modeled rocket-like tail lights during the Space Age of the 1940s and 1950s. As time went on, there came an understanding that engineering and design needed to work together to solve more complex manufacturing and safety issues in a way that would attract buyers into their showrooms.
As the automobile grew to be a bigger part of people's lives so did customer’s expectations. At this point, technology was far outpacing the ability and the willingness of legacy car companies to catch up, some didn't even try at all! What resulted was an industry iterating at a snail pace in comparison to Apple, Google, Samsung, and Amazon. Automotive designers were well aware of this and sought ways to design products that reflected these contemporary values. Most companies weren't concerned with addressing future technology in a viable and honest way. Rather, they chose to iterate a product that was easy to build with readily available parts.
“Let's offer the buyer a racing stripe kit or how about extra USB ports…. That's what they want right?
The result was an entire industry iterating at a snail's pace and buyers increasingly disappointed because this no longer reflected their values and core beliefs. Car companies couldn't understand why.
Enter Tesla
The year is 2012 and the Tesla Model S entered production. It was the first of its kind in many ways but one thing I can remember vividly was the controversy surrounding the center display screen. No matter who you spoke to, 99% of people within the auto industry found it odd and uncomfortable. They didn't get it. They felt the interior lacked knobs and buttons to validate its existence. Everyone made fun of it and thought it was the dumbest thing ever.
look at the panel gaps and tolerances! They're terrible. That's not premium. That's not luxury.
What some in the industry (those who’ve been in it too long) failed to see was that consumers' values had shifted. Now more than ever, brands must demonstrate and awareness in core principles such as sustainability, clean energy, and over-the-air software updates. Honestly, if a smartphone can do it, why not their cars?
Designer Silo Approach
I only began to truly understand what the term “ vertical integration” meant when I moved to Silicon Valley in August of 2019. The abundance of start-ups and established companies I’ve come into contact with currently implementing this idea demonstrates how traditional car studios have been held back by the processes and ideals of an industry just waking up to their new reality.
Currently, most car design studios suffer from the same flaw; little to no talk about technology and how to incorporate it into the overall design experience of the vehicle. In every company that I worked for, designers and engineers sat in different rooms while UX and software development occurred in a completely different location.
There was never a moment where we, as a design team, sat down with the experience design team, for example, to discuss how we could all work together to create a seamless vehicle experience for the customer.
There was never any mention of vertically integrating any technology in a way that reflected its values onto the exterior or interior of the car. These missed opportunities to define a new overall brand approach fell on deaf ears due to it not “ aligning with the company's core values”. Please keep in mind that these “ core values” were cemented in the 20th century.
What’s the Answer?
Automotive companies need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask themselves where they want to be in 5 years. I don't believe there is one group to fault here. Rather, it's a collection of practices and processes that have been implemented for decades that have caused a mix of complacency and arrogance amongst the industry.
A fundamental shift has occurred over the last decade in which the Chinese car market has exploded with a plethora of new players jockeying for position. Companies like BAIC, Great Wall, and Geely have invested huge sums of capital and manpower to challenge the incumbents of the auto industry. With no legacy to hold them back, they have been able to take giant leaps in electrification and user experience, garnering worldwide attention. They are not bound by legacy or president. Rather, they’ve embraced their opportunity to offer something progressive and new, challenging current trends and defining their own in the process.
Change is going to rely on acknowledging that last century's business practices no longer apply in today's changing world.
Designers face a huge mountain to climb. On one hand, they must look at what makes their brand unique and exciting and deliver on that vision. On the other hand, they must always be on top of current and future trends, trying to predict the future 5–6 years out. It's like trying to drive down a dark and windy road with nothing but a flashlight.
Hyper-accelerated timeframes, reflecting core values customers can identify with, and integrating a process that allows for a truly sustainable future is the key to a brand that will survive the next few years.
