Filed under: Cadillac, Ford, GM, Saturn
Fake side vents are blowing hot air
It's a pretty serious charge to level at what is, admittedly, a trend. But John Manoogian, Cadillac's lead exterior designer, believes that fake side vents will wipe out the current trend of stylized-yet-functional side vents. Manoogian says "I've seen Chrysler 300s where guys are buying these stick-on portholes, and I'm thinking, 'What are these people thinking?' They are literally stick-on parts." Yet imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if every other carmaker (including Saturn) and aftermarket shop has hopped on your coat tails... we'd think you'd pat yourself on the back. Sure, it might be aesthetically disappointing to see your lovingly crafted design turned into a chrome flake applique, but that's what happens to trends. Besides, there are far more egregious styling fakeries, as in companies copying significant chunks of another maker's entire design language, that haven't managed to kill original automotive expression. We doubt the lowly side vent spells the end. It's intriguing, though, when Manoogian says, "When it gets to be that ubiquitous, then we are going to have to say, 'We need to do something different here.' " Exactly. Isn't that what car designers are for?
[Source: Auto News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
travis 11:36AM (5/29/2007)
How is this new? Look at stick on hood scoops, fake chin vents, fake diffusers...hell even the Mustang has factory fake vents...
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Tracy McNeil 9:42PM (5/29/2007)
Where are the Mustangs factory vents located?
Graham 11:43AM (5/29/2007)
is this post saying that companies are putting in fake side vents and thats copying Cadillac?
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felipe 11:44AM (5/29/2007)
i hate those stupid old man portals on the Buick's and Caddy's.
if it has a purpose, it's not so bad, but stick ons??
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bassetized 11:50AM (5/29/2007)
hey, don't ya watch the Simpsons?
those are speed holes!
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Lucas 11:52AM (5/29/2007)
Not Buick and Caddys, 300s. We've all seen them and their drivers...
http://www.300fx.com/port_holes?b=1
I especially love the rear door vents.... is that if your passengers have gas??
F' you and your stick on vents!
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DDL 11:53AM (5/29/2007)
Maybe Cadillac's lead designer should appoligize to BMW for copying their side vents for the Escalade. Putting the vents on the Escalade is surely not demaned for functional reasons as the Tahoe/Suburban and Yukon all seem to get by without them.
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Tool 11:56AM (5/29/2007)
GM has a number of 'fake' non-functional side vents on their vehicles, including the new Buick Lucerne. So having a Cadillac designer bitch about them is stupid.
The problem is that automakers are putting them on everything. They can be unique and they can be cool, but I suspect that in 2 years we won't be seeing them on anything.
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British_Rover 11:58AM (5/29/2007)
Are the Escalade side vents even functional? I didn't think they did anything. Do they actually vent hot air from under the hood or are they intakes for the engine.
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spdracerut 12:06PM (5/29/2007)
If anyone can complain about being 'copied' for its side vents, it's BMW. How many riced out cars started sporting the BMW Z3 front fender vents after that car came out?
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frondeur 12:06PM (5/29/2007)
John Manoogian should maybe write a letter of apology to Aston Martin for copying their vents, almost exactly.
In it he should emphasize the fact that he is very sorry that Cadillac took one of the most recognizable symbols of Aston Martin, one retained for almost a half century, and put it on a large, ugly SUV.
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john 12:29PM (5/29/2007)
Aston Martin, still using the very best of 1950s technology. At least they were.
frondeur 12:38PM (5/29/2007)
Yes, full Aluminum Chassis, very 1950s...pushrods
Igor Holas 12:11PM (5/29/2007)
NONE of the Caddy side vents are functional., but there is at least a HOLE in the sheet metal underneath them ..
the Focus vents are purely 3M kin - they will be optional actually.
However, unlike GM, Ford will use actually functional side vents with the TwinForce engines - they need the additional airflow - the new F150 debuting in next 8 months will have that. (after all it is Ford's Land Rover that restarted the side vent craze with their asymetrical functional side vents)
Igor
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scardella 12:16PM (5/29/2007)
Those fake side vents are all over the place... and most of them look like donkey poop. You can tell because they stick out a good half inch from the fender, because they have to draw attention to the bling.
Usually these are also sporting the chrome dubs and polished grills. Some even have the ultra-tacky number on the fender declaring that they just bankrupted child #3 for 22" rims.
I'd take rice any day over bling.
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TrueDis 12:21PM (5/29/2007)
#1 beat me to the punch, but I must say, the last-gen Mustang was definitely the pinnacle as far as this goes.
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LoneWolf 12:26PM (5/29/2007)
BMW Desigers should apologize for dig out a fifty year old design by Buick...and I like the functional (cooling?) Portholes on a classy Car.
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Johnnie 12:32PM (5/29/2007)
Didn't the Land Rovers really start doing this in the SUV market first?
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British_Rover 12:36PM (5/29/2007)
Ehh I guess so. The gills on the Mark III Range Rover are sort of like vents. That Range Rover came out in June of 2002.
The next vehicle out with a real vent from Land Rover was the LR3/Disco 3 and it only had one vent. That vent is actually functional and draws in air for the engine. The Range Rover Sport has two of these vents but only one is functional.
The LR2 has two vents as well but neither one is functional.
NLN350 12:43PM (5/29/2007)
It's their version of making it more "ricey"!! ;)
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