Saab Aero X designer honored
For a car designer, being honored by ELLE magazine might not be something you rush to append to your Curriculum Vitae. On the other hand, good design is good design, and the difference between the design cognoscenti and lay people is largely an ability to verbalize the pleasing elements of a form. Most people unschooled in the history and theory of design merely say "it's nice, I like it," or the oft-uttered phrase around Autoblog HQ - "that's hot." GM Europe's Anthony Lo has been bestowed the honor of "Asian Designer of the Year" at the 2007 ELLE Magazine Style Awards. Lo has headed up GM Europe's Advanced Design division since 2004 after holding Advanced Design positions at Saab and Mercedes Benz. Lo's work on the Saab Aero X concept won him the award from ELLE. Lo has also presided over the designs of recent concepts such as the Opel Flextreme and GTC. So we guess if you love/hate the 9-5's chrome-bespectaled beak, he's the man to thank/blame. The Aero X is one fine piece of work, though, so we'll just stare at that and chase away any thoughts of the 9-5, or better yet, the Caddy BLS.
Press release after the jump.
[Source: GM via The Car Blog]
GM Europe Designer named Asian Designer of the Year for Saab Aero X concept
Anthony Lo wins ELLE Style Award 2007
Hong Kong. GME Designer Anthony Lo has been named Asian Designer of the Year at the ELLE Magazine Style Awards 2007 in Hong Kong. He was honored for his work on the Saab Aero X concept, which was presented for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006.
Anthony Lo was named Director of Advanced Design, GM Europe, in August 2004. He heads the GM Europe Advanced Design organization, which is responsible for all Opel, Saab and Vauxhall advanced design activities. He was born in Hong Kong, China on December 26, 1964. Lo studied Industrial Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and holds a Master's degree in Transportation Design from the Royal College of Art in London, England. He became Chief Designer for Advanced Design at Saab Automobile AB in October 2000 after holding a similar position at Mercedes Benz Advanced Design. Lo oversaw the design of the Saab 9X, 9-3X, 9-3 Sport Hatch and Aero X concept cars, as well as the 2007 Opel GTC Concept and Opel Flextreme from concept to production.
Saab Aero X concept first presented at Geneva Motor Show in 2006
The unusual two-seat sports coupé – clearly inspired by the brand's aircraft heritage – features a glass cockpit canopy that opens to allow passengers to enter. It was named "Best of Show" at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show by editors of U.S. motoring magazine AutoWeek, and "Concept Car of the Year" by Autocar, Britain's oldest car magazine.
ELLE Style Awards
ELLE, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, hosted the ELLE Style Awards 2007 in Hong Kong. The event has been held annually since 1997, when ELLE U.K. hosted the first ELLE Style Awards in London. The awards ceremony has grown into a star-studded event, with celebrity guests such as Madonna, Charlize Theron, Kylie Minogue, Jeremy Scott, Kate Moss and Stella McCartney.
In 2007, the ELLE Style Awards were turned into a truly Asian event, fully supported by six other Asian editions of ELLE, including China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Thailand. ELLE HK presented 30 awards to outstanding personalities from the worlds of fashion and entertainment, and for the first time also to representatives from the arts and culture.
Anthony Lo was named Director of Advanced Design, GM Europe, in August 2004. He heads the GM Europe Advanced Design organization, which is responsible for all Opel, Saab and Vauxhall advanced design activities. He was born in Hong Kong, China on December 26, 1964. Lo studied Industrial Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and holds a Master's degree in Transportation Design from the Royal College of Art in London, England. He became Chief Designer for Advanced Design at Saab Automobile AB in October 2000 after holding a similar position at Mercedes Benz Advanced Design. Lo oversaw the design of the Saab 9X, 9-3X, 9-3 Sport Hatch and Aero X concept cars, as well as the 2007 Opel GTC Concept and Opel Flextreme from concept to production.
Saab Aero X concept first presented at Geneva Motor Show in 2006
The unusual two-seat sports coupé – clearly inspired by the brand's aircraft heritage – features a glass cockpit canopy that opens to allow passengers to enter. It was named "Best of Show" at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show by editors of U.S. motoring magazine AutoWeek, and "Concept Car of the Year" by Autocar, Britain's oldest car magazine.
ELLE Style Awards
ELLE, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, hosted the ELLE Style Awards 2007 in Hong Kong. The event has been held annually since 1997, when ELLE U.K. hosted the first ELLE Style Awards in London. The awards ceremony has grown into a star-studded event, with celebrity guests such as Madonna, Charlize Theron, Kylie Minogue, Jeremy Scott, Kate Moss and Stella McCartney.
In 2007, the ELLE Style Awards were turned into a truly Asian event, fully supported by six other Asian editions of ELLE, including China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Thailand. ELLE HK presented 30 awards to outstanding personalities from the worlds of fashion and entertainment, and for the first time also to representatives from the arts and culture.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
sk 8:18AM (11/22/2007)
And I thought SAAB is 100% Swedish
Reply
lovice 9:24AM (11/22/2007)
It's the 21st century. Don't forget California has an Austrian governor.
Ronald 9:45AM (11/22/2007)
/Rant on\
what a backwards prejudice (on the verge of racism) statement. and yes, Saab IS 100% Swedish you bat. that doesn't mean that only Swedish people can work, or design a car their.
You deserve to get flamed.
/Rant off\
psarhjinian 10:06AM (11/22/2007)
No manufacturer is 100% anything. Ignoring the 9-7x (which I really wish I could do) Saab builds cars in Sweden and Austria at present, and has built in Finland in the past.
* The old 9000 was a joint project with Fiat
* The NG900 was essentially a reworked Opel Calibra
* The 9-5 shares a lot with the Saturn L and Opel Vectra
* The new 9-3 is a GM Epsilon, albeit a shorter wheelbase than the Malibu/Aura/G6.
It hasn't been exclusively "built in Trollhattan by real trolls" for a while. Of course, you're probably referring to the designer's apparently nationality, in which case:
* How do you know he wasn't born in Sweden?
* Who cares? They style Nissans in Tennessee these days.
sk 8:59PM (11/22/2007)
@Ronald "McDonald"
Flame Who?
It was a joke pooch
Ronald 9:42AM (11/22/2007)
it doesnt say anything in that article about him designing the 9-5's beak (that i tend to like...not my favorite, but still nice for the 2nd refresh since it debuted in 1998...).
Get those facts straight Autoblog!
Reply
Dan Roth 9:56AM (11/22/2007)
It was a JOKE! J-O-K-E!
Ronald 10:03AM (11/22/2007)
oh my god. no it wasnt. what was the pun then?
so here is your joke- "So we guess if you love/hate the 9-5's chrome-bespectaled beak, he's the man to thank/blame."
HAHA sooo funny (now this is a REAL pun intended).
seriously. just admit you flopped, and this isnt a REAL joke, just you trying to take a cheap shot at the 9-5 like all other journalists on a Saab product. This act you guys keep playing on the 9-5 is really getting old. The article didn't even say ANYTHING ABOUT the 9-5. You just wanted to throw that in there to make the reader resent saab even more.
busted you are! Autoblog is really starting to jump to BMW and Audi and the Japanese, and screw anyone else.
and i know how to spell joke, so you dont have to spell it for me thank you very much!
Dan Roth 10:09AM (11/22/2007)
Ron, are we feeling testy this morning? I *LIKE* the 9-5, nose and all. Wasn't a cheap shot, just trying to provide a little chortle. Sorry it didn't strike you as amusing :)
psarhjinian 10:12AM (11/22/2007)
@Ronald
First: The nosejobbed 9-5 is ugly. I like Saabs--I own one, much to both my delight and chagrin--and I really, really do not like the way that car looks. GM, with its typical lack of restraint, took a nice clean designed and whored it up chrome and fussy detailling. I'm glad they backed off a little with the 9-3.
I still think Saab reached it's peak with the 2003-2007 9-3. Clean, clipped design--pity about the fussy interior ergonomics.
Second: Autoblog favouring whaaa? The Japanese? Have you _read_ any article posted by John Neff recently? He's practically posting GM press releases verbatim, when he's not cutting up the Tundra.
Ronald 10:20AM (11/22/2007)
@ Dan
Can you tell me what exactly the joke WAS then? because It just looked like a statement
@psarhjinian
I love saab too, i also own one. But I think that Dan did the little love/hate thing for a reason. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and Im not going to tear our little brand down on autoblog for the world to see, and I wont stand for HIM to do it either. The 2004/5 Aero is by far my favorite 9-5 and hope to own one (when I get some money :) ) But I'm not gonna sit here and say that the current one looks horrible, because to me, it looks just different in person rather than on the computer screen. when I see one, it makes my head turn EVERY time.
And yes, Autoblog does have its favorites at times. they always test the japanese and Euro cars in the "autoblog garage".
Dan Roth 11:05AM (11/22/2007)
I wrut:
"So we guess if you love/hate the 9-5's chrome-bespectaled beak, he's the man to thank/blame. The Aero X is one fine piece of work, though, so we'll just stare at that and chase away any thoughts of the 9-5, or better yet, the Caddy BLS. "
See, that's a little bit of sarcastic nose-tweaking. My intent was not to tear down the Saab brand, for crying out loud, I own two Volvos, I dig Swedish cars. I've always had a thing for the 99 (the model designation, not the year) and earlier Saabs. The nature of subjective taste will mean that while you love the styling of something, others will not - nothing worth getting all bent about.
As for bias in our Autoblog Garage cars, we take what we can get in the Garage. My situation is different than John or Alex, who operate off different regional press fleets, but some cars are just not available. It's difficult to get cars sometimes, believe it or not.
Ronald 11:21AM (11/22/2007)
you know Danny boy, you can be a great comedian. "My intent was not to tear down the Saab brand, for crying out loud, I own two Volvos, I dig Swedish cars."
who cares about Volvo. Saab and Volvo are like completely different species on this earth. one is boring (minus the beautiful S60R), one is sporty. THIS should have been the joke in the original post. ;)
Something else that is funny (although to a lesser extent) is that the "autoblog garage" generally only gets and tests (and rates high) the Japanese and Euro cars. now Im not blaming you, but i swear I dont want to be the first to call CONSPIRACY!. ;) "we generally take what we can get in the autoblog garage". This should be read as- "European and Asian cars are all we consider in the autoblog garage, and we SOMETIMES rate the worst of the American cars even LOWER as we see fit (which is all the time). EURASIAN POWER :)
Have a WONDERFUL thanksgiving Dan and your Eurasian autoblog garage -From GM, FORD, Chrysler, and a previously insulted Saab 9-5.
Alex Nunez 12:58PM (11/22/2007)
Hey Ronald. Do you actually, you know, read the site? Because if you did, you would know that your Eurasian Autoblog Garage line is crap.
In the year and a half since I've joined the team we have driven and reviewed, in no particular order, the new Focus (last week), the Escalade, the Saturn Aura (regular and green Line), The previous Vue Green Line, the new Vue Red Line, the Caddy SRX, the new Taurus (sedan and X), the Ford Edge, the Mustang GT, a couple of Saleens, at least one Roush, the new Silverado (two flavors), the Ford F150 Harley Davidson and the F450 Super Duty, the Chevy Aveo (it has the Bowtie, so I'm counting it), the Magnum SRT8, the new Malibu, the Caliber SRT, the new Caravan, and probably few more things I've missed.
It's also not hard to find them. Click on the "garage" tag at the top of any of the In The Autoblog Garage reviews and it'll pull up every single garage post.
So please. Get informed. Happy Thanksgiving.
Ronald 1:12PM (11/22/2007)
WOW! ALL THOSE CARS IN A YEAR AND A HALF. HOW AMAZING!!! you deserve a round of aplause. thank you so much for chiming in their ALEX!
You guys have tested (according to YOU) 21 different American cars or so for 1.5 yrs. (including different trims/models!!) But what about the amount of Japo-Euro cars you've tested?
Honda Accord, Kia Spectra,Nissan Rogue, Mini Cooper S, Porsche Boxter, Scion xB, Bentley Continental GTC, Kia Spectra, Acura RL, and to top it off, the Toyota Highlander. And thats just the first page of the garage tab. :)
And guess what! this was all since Oct 16, 2007. only a month and a week (5 weeks, thats all). Get your point straight mr. Alex Nunez. and it seems YOU need to be informed about your OWN page!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU TOO (like i said before) and your Eurasian Garage!
Dan Roth 7:55PM (11/22/2007)
Like I said, Ron, we largely take what we can get in the garage. It's not always easy to get cars, regardless of who the manufacturer is. Fleets are pretty thin and even the guys writing for big-time print mags have trouble getting cars sometimes. Also, don't think that because a vehicle review goes live one day that we just stepped out of that car. There's some lead time on the reviews.
I can't speak for Alex other than to say he and I often excitedly discuss American cars. I personally have no bias against American manufacturers, in fact, we're car shopping now and I'm trying to find an American brand that suits our desires. If you detect a bias, that's too bad, but please don't hit us with the same tinfoil-hat dreck that loonies continually spew at the buff books. Our experience with a variety of vehicles on a semi-regular basis means that when we say “the Jeep Patriot's interior doesn't measure up to its competition, but the driving experience is grand,” we're not knocking the Jeep out of spite, but the fact that it simply isn't as good in some areas as the competition. Some cars are better than others, and there's a variety of reasons for that. I'm a big fan of the American brands, especially those folks who work on the lines, in the trenches. That said, sometimes other brands just build better cars. I'd say the fact that we try to get a media car per week to drive gives us Autobloggers some qualification to speak about what we find out.
Going to bat for your favorite brand, fine, but really man, take a joke.
Justin 12:27PM (11/23/2007)
Wow...Ron apparently has no sense of humor and isn't here very much.
Get a life man.
*note* this is what happens when you name your kid Ronald.
mr.ed 10:56AM (11/22/2007)
He gets an award for a 100% evolutionary facelift? Damn!
Reply
Asdf 2:51PM (11/22/2007)
the saab aero x is not a facelift. I've seen it in person, and it is seriously one of the coolest looking cars ever, and I don't even like saabs.
psarhjinian 5:47PM (11/22/2007)
I always thought the Aero X would have made a good skin for a hybrid.
Heck, I also thought Saab would be the best demographic fit (eccentric, well-off, left-leaning, Birkenstock-and-tweed-jacket-wearing intellectuals) for a hybrid. I still think that, especially given how many Saab fans I know that have gone Prius after Saab scrapped the 9-3 hatchback. GM, in it's infinite wisdom, is going to make a hybrid _Escalade_ before giving one to Saab.
An Escalade. Next to the Hummer and Corvette, I can't think of another model in GM's stable whose buyers could care less.