Opinion: New cars have leveled the design playing field
By Chad Waite | November 27, 2009
It’s interesting to look at the cars of the 90s. They were smaller, based around practicality, a lot cheaper, and conformed to a universal design similar to that of a cardboard box. Only a handful stuck out enough to turn some heads, and only a handful of those were actually pleasant to look at.
Today the situation has been turned on its head. Car manufactures have now realized the power of a good looking product and as a result, the standard mid-entry sedan has become a pleasing visual experience- elegance and beauty now come standard. Simply put, head turning is on the decline.
Yesterday, while reading about the new BMW 5-Series, my brother said, “I like these cars but they are kind of plain looking.” That reaction alone was proof enough that new cars- take a Nissan Altima for example- have risen to the design level of exotics and European imports that were previously considered superior.
These new designs, both curvaceous and edgy, have been pushed to the very limit, making it clear that only so much can be changed and molded on the standard design of a car. I believe BMW hit this ceiling with their last generation of sedans while the rest of the industry was simply playing catch up. Now, Nissan, Subaru, Honda, Hyundai, and most other car manufacturer for that matter, are experiencing the same problem as BMW. The design of their cars has reached a peak and all that can be done now is minor tweaks and small aesthetic changes.
The new 5-series isn’t head turning. Place in the wild it won’t stand out. Instead, the elegant German will have conformed with the masses of other new, yet exceptional looking vehicles on the road. Where the BMW will excel is in the mechanical department- how it drives.
Look at it in terms of video games. Gaming entertainment has reached a high point in graphics. There isn’t much more that can be done to get a game looking better visually. Just like exceptional looks and cars, amazing graphics are now looked at as standard part of the video game experience- it is no longer a key selling point. Instead players will buy a game based off of other elements such as gameplay, story lines, and smooth controls.
And this concept- the experience- will soon be the new looks.
3 Comments
FB_1234097888 on November 28, 2009 at 7:13 am.
Sorry Chad I disagree. I’m not going to go off and rant about it because I’m not upset about it, but just respectfully disagree.
Blake Bishop on November 28, 2009 at 7:43 pm.
I don’t agree with you in the way of video games. In 10 years we’ll look at the graphics from today and be like wow we used to think that was realistic? I don’t know how but it will happen. As for the cars I can see how better looking cheap cars lessens the eye catchy-ness of top of the line cars. But the more expensive cars always have something about them that sets them apart.
Matt Showalter on November 29, 2009 at 12:14 am.
“Everything that can be invented has been invented.”
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