2007

	18.10.2007 Automotive design: Squaring the circle An article on the new book by Hans-Hermann Braess and Ulrich Seiffert with an interview with Chris Bangle, Director of Design BMW Group. Guigiaro, Bangle, Bertoni, da Silva – famous names which are more than just names to many car lovers. The car manufacturers’ designers are often more famous than their superiors at management level. Their designs are in the public spotlight. They ensure that established slogans, such as “Sheer Driving Pleasure” are associated with a unique form to shape the image of the brand. This puts enormous pressure on the creative heads at the car companies. The customers expect a steady flow of new ideas. At the same time, previous models should still be attractive a few years down the line. As well as the user requirements, a vehicle is also subject to statutory regulations and requirements in terms of practicality, and business management considerations also play an important role. So automotive design is much more than just art. This is, at least, the opinion of Hans-Hermann Braess and Ulrich Seiffert, who recently presented their new book “Automobildesign und Technik” [Automotive Design and Technology] at the key event in the automotive year – the International Car Show in Frankfurt. The two publishers have put together articles by various authors, including designers and automotive experts like Chris Bangle and Giorgetto Giugiaro. The book illustrates the technical restraints for engineers, such as aerodynamics, production, legislation and customer requirements and the aesthetics of design. The book starts off by showing the important milestones in the 120-year history of the motor car and deals with basic questions of design and technology and the meaning of design for car customers. The second chapter is a chance for the designers from the leading car manufacturers to have their say. They give a clear idea of their everyday work and the requirements in terms of the design of a car. A final chapter provides a more in-depth insight into areas such as aerodynamics and ergonomics, colours, glass and lighting and computer-aided development methods. In their own article, Braess and Seiffert tackle the subject of “Design and Technology in the Vehicle as a Whole”. They are experts in this field, as they have both worked as engineers in the research and development departments of large companies. Professor Braess at BMW and Professor Seiffert at VW. They describe design as “Squaring the circle in n-dimensional complexity” and aim to put the much-discussed conflict between designers and developers into relative terms. “In reality, both partners are successfully seeking solutions which will satisfy the customers and the technical requirements in equal measures,” explain the two authors. In order to guarantee this, customer surveys are also incorporated into the new design of a car. There are interesting findings, including the fact that the most important purchase criterion is safety, closely followed by quality, reliability and value for money. But emotionality is also playing an increasingly important role: “In a certain sense, people want to find themselves in the body language of the vehicle,” according to Braess and Seiffert. This emotional attachment ensures that we feel as comfortable in our car as we do at home, so particular importance is placed on designing the interior. However, the main challenges for the designers and developers is in the driver’s “workplace”. More and more functions and assistance systems need to be incorporated into the dashboard so that they are as aesthetically pleasing as possible and at the same time easily accessible and recognisable. The geometric design of the interior is determined by regulations such as fields of view and wiper fields and the position of the seatbelt anchor points. Braess and Seiffert explained why the standardised sizes of passengers, some of which are defined by the legislator, are no longer in line with reality. An investigation at the University of Kiel revealed that the body size of passengers has considerably increased since the passed and that vehicles need to be redesigned accordingly. In order to, for example, set up the visibility conditions in the interior, the seatbelt anchor points or the position of the seats in accordance with the average driver size, the designers work with complex computer simulations. The designers also have to take a lot into consideration when designing the exterior. For example, visibility is very important for the driver, not only onto the road at the front, but also all around the vehicle. This also includes horizontal visibility to the rear through the tailgate. The visibility is also affected by what are known as the A-posts, which connect the bonnet to the roof. So they must be kept as narrow as possible. For all manufacturers, pedestrian protection on the vehicles plays an important role, while the requirements for good aerodynamics are more a question of customer desire for a dynamic driving feel. The two authors describe how automotive designers work with these regulations, explain the interaction between design and function and discuss the influence of design studies – known as concept cars – on the development of a new car. The book by Braess and Seiffert proves that design and construction are extremely dependent on one another and all those involved are aware that a car can only be produced as a result of teamwork. This does not debunk the myth surrounding Chris Bangle and his colleagues, but their work does seem more tangible and easier to imagine after a “visit” to their design studios. Chris Bangle: “Designers have to give up on their elitist way of thinking” Christopher E. Bangle is the head of design at the BMW Group. In the new book from Hans-Hermann Braess and Ulrich Seiffert, he has used the opportunity to give readers an unbelievably in-depth insight into his work and describe the challenges of designing cars in the future. Mr Bangle, you write that there is currently huge pressure on the car and its status in society. Why is that? The car is by some way the most successful means of passenger transport and still it has to face increasing levels of criticism about its suitability for the future. In the automotive industry, for a long time it has no longer been about the traditional questions of vehicle design or energy and resource management. Globalisation has ripped the automotive industry from its relatively stable position in the traditional industrial sector. We need to adapt and find flexible approaches to solutions. Unfortunately, we have to concede that car design in general has not yet taken this to heart. In order to set themselves apart from the competition, the shape of the vehicles is very important to the manufacturers. Has this always been the case? When the Industrial Revolution discovered industrial design for reproducible products at the end of the 19th century, the main aim was to solve user problems and make everyday products. There was no sense of brands as we know them today – the products largely spoke for themselves. Over time, this purely solution-oriented approach to design became more mature, more sophisticated and more brand-oriented. These developments were hugely influenced by mass production and advertising. Companies were forced to interest customers in their products rather than the numerous virtually identical products from their competitors. This was followed by longer-term customer loyalty – design as a means of consumer satisfaction, increased sales and promoting identity. What does this development mean for automotive design in concrete terms? Automotive design is on the brink of stagnation. Why are most car manufacturers holding onto the uniform look of the 1980s? You can actually hear them thinking: What if our innovations polarise the customers or even put them off? We’ll leave it as it is. At the moment, it ain’t broke ... In the short term, sitting still is always preferential to running. But in the long term, standing still in a dynamic environment is tantamount to going backwards. If you don’t move, then others around you will do. Speed and flexibility is more important than size. So what do you suggest for the future? In order to counteract the threat of stagnation, we need to open our customers’ eyes and give them a more in-depth insight into our subject, make them more vocal. However, this can only succeed if designers give up on their elitist way of thinking and brave dialogue – dialogue with the customer. Some designers could be frightened by this, as they fear they would lose control over “their” design. But what you gain by giving up the elitist way of thinking is a new awareness. However, the customer does not get more pleasant, on the contrary. It puts him in the position to be more critical and make a more reflective judgement and therefore have a positive influence on the overall result. This is exactly what the automotive design needs – new impetus and more critical and “more conscious” end consumers who are involved before, during and after the production process in order to create a complete new and innovative end product. If the customer is involved, you get the kind of innovations which improve the world.