The crew from On Cars had a chance to spend some quality time with the Tesla Model S and some of the key people bringing this sweet sedan to fruition. In the first of three videos (the other two haven't been released yet), not only are we treated to some gorgeous shots of the Model S, inside and out, but also have the chance to listen to designer Franz von Holzhausen talk at length about the object of our fastback desire. If you've been paying attention to every detail released about the all-electric so far, there might not be a lot of new material for you here, though interestingly, the Model S does get the year 2011 attached to it. That seems a little soon seeing as a factory hasn't been built or acquired yet, but we digress.

Even if you do happen to know every bit of Model S minutiae, it is nice to hear the passion and excitement Franz has for the project as he talks with ardor about proportion and aerodynamics. You can see why Tesla chief, Elon Musk hired him on in the first place. But enough jabbering, hit the jump and check it out for yourself.




[Source: On Cars]

Derek Jenkins has spent his entire professional design career within the walls of the VolkswagenGroup, first working on the Concept 1 (which became the New Beetle) under J Mays. After having also worked on the Audi A2, the Microbus concept, the GX3 (seen above), as well as the Passat Gold Coast and Eos Highway 1 concepts for Pebble Beach, Jenkins has retired from VW this month.

According to Edmunds' Straightline blog, the designer's new gig is with Mazda, where he will replace Franz von Holzhausen (the young gun who defected to Tesla in April of 2008) as the head of the company's North American design efforts. Now, if he can just do something about those smiley faces...

[Source: Straightline]

It's already on Wikipedia so it must be true. We've just received confirmation from Tesla Motors that the upstart electric car company has somehow managed to snag Mazda's top designer to become its new Design Director and head up a team of in-house designers at a new studio. Franz von Holzhausen is the current rock star of the automobile design world, having been the creative force behind the last few year's worth of Mazda concepts that include the Nagare and Furai, as well as overseeing the design of all Mazda production vehicles in North America since February 2005. von Holzhausen has also been a designer at both General Motors and Volkswagen.

This is a major coup for Tesla, as its current Roadster was designed entirely by Lotus. The company's chairman, Elon Musk, reportedly hand-picked von Holzhausen to design the rest of Tesla's electric car range that will include both a mainstream sedan and sport compact.

A press release is on its way from Tesla Motors and will be added to this post when it arrives. Thanks for the tip, Antontio and David!

[Source: Car Design News]

Our friends at AutoblogGreen recently got the chance to hear the Chief of Mazda's US design team, Franz von Holzhausen, give an insight into the design culture at Mazda. Reading his name immediately conjures the image of a sophisticated Euro stylist but the Connecticut-born designer, now based in California, looked more SoCal surfer than smug design guru.

Speaking about specific models and concepts, Holzhausen reveals that inspiration is taken from nature with designs that are more fluid and organic than the blocky shapes seen in most production cars today. As always, Mazda's persistent "Zoom, Zoom" philosophy will continue to play a major role in future designs. There will be more RWD and AWD models in the lineup, a departure from its current range, plus a greater focus on interiors, too.

One key factor that will have an affect on all aspects of car development is the impending US Energy bill that's currently being debated on Capitol Hill. With targets of 35mpg proposed for cars and trucks by 2020, we're likely to see a dramatic change in some designs. Lower drag coefficients, more underbody diffusers and fluid shapes are all in store for future models. We can't wait.

[Source: Autoblog Green]