Cars at Salone del Mobile Milan
The world of the automobile is rapidly evolving – no longer is it sufficient to build reliable, well-engineered machines. Now cars need to be thoughtfully designed to express current trends and they have to at least be seen to be relevant. And it helps to be spotted mingling with the creative world. Car designers are forever emphasising their involvement with other design disciplines, of how they keep on top of trends and are involved... Read More
Car, body, fashion
I was 18 when I first read The Nude by Kenneth Clark. Published in 1956, it was a sort of Bible for young aspiring aesthetes. I was on my way to becoming one, so I hoped, having enrolled on a pre-grad foundation in art and design. Many of Clark’s observations have been tirelessly quoted but the one that always resonates is this simple line: ‘The relation of head to body determines the standard by which we assess all other proportions in nature.’... Read More
Car design trends from Geneva
The Geneva Motor Show is one of the main yearly international exhibitions that tend to focus primarily on design studies and future trends. This year, sadly, the displays were generally of ‘real’ cars – automobiles that are made for today’s world but tend to lack the visionary insight to make them relevant to the bigger picture of mobility. This is a real shame as for the last few years we have been teased with a promise of a future... Read More
Road trip: BMW 3 Series
To test a new car to its utmost, nothing quite beats a long road trip. What may have appeared to be a well designed, thoughtfully packed product, soon shows its flaws when put to test on a long and laborious four-day road journey. This was our task as we flew out to Malaga last month to drive the new BMW 3 Series Saloon for over 2,000 miles – our journey took us through arid central Spain, up to the Atlantic coast, via the Pyrenees to France,... Read More
Serie’s design for BMW Olympic pavilion
These are images of the BMW pavilion at the Olympic Park, designed by young UK firm Serie Architects for the 2012 London games. The two-story structure will be made of steel with recycled content. The idea is to build it on an elevated site above the Waterworks River – between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre - with river water cooling the building before returning the filtered water to the river via the ‘water curtain’... Read More
BMW Motorrad’s scooter designs
The BMW E-Scooter is a concept two-wheel vehicle with electric drive designed for mainly urban driving. With a 100km driving range, and only three hours to charge the battery on any regular household power socket, the scooter aims to be more versatile than many of the other electric scooters on the market. The E-Scooter is one of the latest conceptual two-wheel urban mobility ideas to be developed at BMW Motorrad, a branch of the German marque... Read More
Book review: Intersection Cars Now
Books on cars tend to follow a simple formula – a pretty straight narrative that is either sequenced historically or by company. In this context, Intersection‘s Cars Now maintains this by guiding the reader through a selection of today’s most notable cars via alphabetically organised car companies. ‘We go make by make, model by model, to capture a snapshot of a species evolving,’ say the authors. And as a reference book,... Read More
Car design trends: Frankfurt Motor Show 2011
We are at the start of the second life of the automobile. Up until recently, cars were more of less about individual mobility, personal space, about ownership. It has been about creating beautiful or quirky sculpture. With our diminishing fossil fuel reserves, concerns for the environment and world economic recession, the closeted, cosy world of the automobile has had to shift. I recall going to see controversial ex-BMW design boss Chris Bangle... Read More
Flos, Cocksedge, BMW poetic light installation
It is almost the incidentals that make this light installation a little bit special. A creative venture involving a trio with very different skills, Sestoseno is a fusion of LED technology and design, and ultimately a celebration of light. Italian light maker Flos, German car designer Adrian van Hooydonk and British product designer Paul Cocksedge worked closely to create this light installation as part of the Salone del Mobile in Milan. #gallery-8... Read More
Video: BMW Vision ConnectedDrive
The latest advanced design from BMW, Vision ConnectedDrive, connects the driver, vehicle and the outside world. Adrian van Hooydonk discusses Vision ConnectedDrive here. Also follow BMW’s sustainable mobility activities at BMWActivatetheFuture.com. Design Talks | 5 – 25 Scrutton Street | Old Street | Shoreditch | London | EC2A 4HJ W | www.d-talks.com | Bookshop www.d-talks.com/bookshop | Published by Banksthomas All rights and labelled... Read More