Features
Live panel discussion: The future of German automotive design
Register now for our virtual live panel discussion ”The future of German automotive design: a new era in innovation and sustainability” broadcast from Munich, where we will explore the challenges of balancing heritage with the demands of modern mobility, the impact of sustainability on design ethos, and the increasing role of collaboration with suppliers to drive innovation.
Watch now: How to prepare for the AI-future in Automotive Design
Watch our CDN webinar with Autodesk, where Autodesk Product Manager for AI in Automotive and Conceptual Design spoke about how to prepare for the AI-future in Automotive Design
A is for…a comprehensive glossary of automotive design terms
Car Design News presents a glossary of car design terms
Latest material trends by CNT Factory
CMF experts CNT Factory pick out some groundbreaking projects and materials, including work from BMW and Freitag
The mysterious role of perceived quality in car design
The science of perceived quality ensures a product materialises as intended
Watch now: Enabling creative innovation in the design studio
Watch our CDN webinar with Autodesk, where Product Managers Phil Botley and Brandon Tasker will be discusing the Agile Design Studio
How does marketing influence car design?
Car Design News investigates how departments beyond the studio influence the final design of a vehicle. This time, it is not engineering, but marketing and product planning under the microscope
Meet the writer: US correspondent Karl Smith
Get to know the Car Design News team. This week, it is our US correspondent, Karl Smith, who shares his early introduction to cars and what it’s like as a car design writer
Meet the writer: Deputy Editor, Freddie Holmes
Get to know the Car Design News team. This week, it is our deputy editor, Freddie Holmes, who shares his early introduction to cars and what it’s like as a car design writer
Tyre design: the perfect balance of form and function
Car Design News investigates the principles of tyre design and what room for innovation remains
Farewell to Geneva
Jason Barlow looks back at the Geneva Motor Show
Milan Design Week: A CMF sampler
Furniture, fashion, cars, make for a veritable feast of materials. Car Design News sampled the offerings at Milan Design Week 2024
Generations: looking back at the Dodge Charger
A look back of the history of the Dodge Charger reveals the good, the bad, and the plain awful
Book review: Wheels & Watches
“Cars and watches have marked the evolution of technology and to a certain extent, that of design, fashion and society” – Flavio Manzoni
Underpromising and overdelivering in the age of the software-defined vehicle
In an era in which brands like Audi, Volkswagen as well as start-ups such as Fisker, are asking customers to put their faith in an entirely new technology, maybe OEMs are better off underpromising and overdelivering, writes Drew Smith
Inside the studio: General Motors, Advanced Design UK
Car Design News paid a visit to General Motors Advanced Design UK in Leamington. While the work itself is shrouded in secrecy, CDN discovered a studio relishing its role as creative friend to the mothership in Michigan
In praise of pushbuttons (and other physical controls)
Buttons are making a slight return thanks to revised guidance from Euro NCAP. Drew Smith considers what we lost in the move to screens, and what we might gain from the new rules
Opinion: The UX pain of EV rental
By adding EVs to rental fleets without perfecting the end-to-end experience, brands which claim to be customer-focused have squandered an opportunity to build customer acceptance, writes Drew Smith
Colour trends to expect in car design
Car Design News investigates how Colour of the Year forecasts are playing out in the automotive space
How proportions influence a car’s perceived value
Using the Toyota Mirai as a case study, Jelle Tjebbes argues that the package often has a far greater impact on the perception of value than exterior styling
‘In the race to be “cool”, quality and coherence are being left behind’
CES 2024 demonstrated that established OEMs like Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes are asking the wrong questions when it comes to user experience
Interview: Michael Simcoe, senior VP design, General Motors
In an exclusive interview with Car Design News, General Motors senior VP of design Michael Simcoe talks about the role of design within the company, the Warren campus extension, and the complexities of electrification
Review: Artcenter Invitational 2023
The annual Artcenter Invitational returns with a renewed focus on the school and the students, and the cars
Flashback: Four fibreglass pioneers of the car world
Often derided as “a poor man’s carbon fibre”, fiberglass was critical in the development of the modern sports car. CDN takes a look back to the beginnings of the composites era
Watch: More than just a new coat of paint - Alias 2024
Watch on-demand our CDN webinar with Autodesk, where Alias Product Manager Phil Botley will be discusing the new Alias 2024 release.
Flashback: sequential turn signals
In 1964, Ford introduced a redesigned model of its personal luxury car, the Thunderbird. It featured a new, sharper, more raptor-like design, more power with a massive 392 cubic inch V8 and a host of new luxury features, including an all-new interior.
Car design goes (sage) green
Sage green has become a popular colour palette for new cars, both production and concept
Sasha Selipanov on design trends and opening his own studio
Sasha Selipanov talks to Car Design News about his new design studio, Hardline27
Flashback: the era-defining Cord 810
Karl Smith takes a look at the short-lived yet iconic Cord 810, a symbol of mid-1930s glamour
Will aerodynamics dominate automotive design in future?
Car Design News investigates whether aerodynamics will be the prevailing trend moving forward as EVs seek extra range
Flashback: in-car record players
Car Design News takes a look back at the unlikely trend to integrate turntables in the cockpit
Six trends that will shape the automotive industry’s future
From integrated factory planning to virtual reality, Autodesk highlights six key trends primed to disrupt the automotive industry in the future
In review: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023
From the mightiest pharoah to the lowliest peasant, who doesn’t enjoy the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Car Design News made its annual pilgrimage to the show
IAA Mobility Design Conference Livestream
Designing the Future of Mobility
The Volvo team unpacks the EX90
The team behind Volvo’s flagship EX90 offer their unique perspectives on the design development of the car
Feature: Car Design and Fashion
Fashion has always had an influence on car design and collaborations between the two are nothing new. But when individuals within those industries work together, with equal input and interest, the results can be spectacular. Interior Motives investigates a few recent high-profile examples…
Flashback: 1982 Nissan NRV-II concept interior
Car Design News looks back on the cockpit of the influential 1982 Nissan NRV-II concept