Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Feat of Clay: We take a peek inside Toyota's Calty design center]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/feat-of-clay-we-take-a-peek-inside-toyotas-calty-design-center/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/feat-of-clay-we-take-a-peek-inside-toyotas-calty-design-center/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/feat-of-clay-we-take-a-peek-inside-toyotas-calty-design-center/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Toyota's Calty Design Research in Newport Beach, CA - Click above for high-res image gallery

In anticipation of the debut of the all-new 2011 Toyota Sienna at the 2009 LA Auto Show in December, the folks responsible for the minivan invited us to take a peek inside their Calty design center in Newport Beach, California. Calty Design Research is the Toyota design center that created production cars like the '78, '90 and '00 Toyota Celica, '07 FJ Cruiser, '07 Tundra, '08 Highlander, '08 Scion xB, and '09 Venza, as well as the Lexus LF-C, FT-SX, Scion t2B, Scion FUSE, FT-HS and A-BAT concepts.

It's not very often that they open the doors of this design center to the public - let alone journalists - so we jumped at the chance. We spent a day with the group directly responsible for the 2011 Sienna and also met with Calty and Toyota officials. It was an enlightening day in which we learned about what inspired this third generation people-hauler, what Calty offers to differentiate it from other Toyota design houses, and why full-size clay models are still so important in the world of design, among other things.

Follow the jump to travel with us past the velvet rope and into Calty.


Gallery: Calty Design Research Tour

Continue reading Feat of Clay: We take a peek inside Toyota's Calty design center

Feat of Clay: We take a peek inside Toyota's Calty design center originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Caltycalty design researchCaltyDesignResearchdesigndesign housedesignerdesignersDesignHousefeaturedlexuslexus designLexusDesignscionscion designScionDesigntoyotatoyota designToyotaDesignTue, 08 Dec 2009 11:58:00 EST<![CDATA[REPORT: Chrysler christens Brandon Faurote as new chief designer]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/01/report-chrysler-christens-brandon-faurote-as-new-chief-designer/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/01/report-chrysler-christens-brandon-faurote-as-new-chief-designer/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/01/report-chrysler-christens-brandon-faurote-as-new-chief-designer/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Chrysler Firepower Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery

When Sergio Marchionne revamped Fiat, he installed new designers at each company division and charged them with creating products that would define each brand and move metal. Marchionne has apparently done the same with Chrysler, putting Brandon Faurote in charge of Chrysler, Joseph Dehner in at Dodge, and Mark Allen in at Jeep.

Faurote has been with the Pentastar since he was 22, and has worked on offerings like the 1999 Jeep Cherokee and the 2001 Chrysler and Dodge minivans. Since 2003, his title has been Chief Designer - Advanced Product Design, and he's given us concept cars like the 2005 Chrysler Firepower (pictured). He's also given us the Chrysler Imperial, so we pray his eye for the brand leads more toward artillery than royalty.

Joseph Dehner leads the Dodge charge and has the Crossfire and 2001 Chrysler Sebring in his quiver... but also the exterior design of the 2007 Sebring. Mark Allen has the the 2006 Jeep Wrangler and 2009 Dodge Ram 150 to take credit for, as well as super cool Jeep concepts like the Jeep JT and Jeep J8 Sarge. Here's to hoping Fiat encourages - and pays for - them to give us their best. Hat tip to 13enS!


Gallery: Chrysler Firepower Concept


[Source: The Motor Report]

REPORT: Chrysler christens Brandon Faurote as new chief designer originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chryslerdesigndesignerdesignersdodgejeepsergio marchionneSergioMarchionneWed, 01 Jul 2009 09:26:00 EST<![CDATA[REPORT: VW's California studio head Derek Jenkins to move to Mazda design]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/30/vws-california-studio-head-derek-jenkins-to-move-to-mazda-desig/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/30/vws-california-studio-head-derek-jenkins-to-move-to-mazda-desig/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/30/vws-california-studio-head-derek-jenkins-to-move-to-mazda-desig/#commentsFiled under: , ,



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]

REPORT: VW's California studio head Derek Jenkins to move to Mazda design originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>derek jenkinsDerekJenkinsdesigndesign studiodesignerdesignersDesignStudiofranz von holzhausenFranzVonHolzhausenmazdavolkswagenMon, 30 Mar 2009 10:33:00 EST<![CDATA[Beat some ugly Italian designs with an ugly stick]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/27/beat-some-ugly-italian-designs-with-an-ugly-stick/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/27/beat-some-ugly-italian-designs-with-an-ugly-stick/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/27/beat-some-ugly-italian-designs-with-an-ugly-stick/#commentsFiled under: ,



Got some time to burn? Of course you do! iMotor Mag has created a game to punish the wayward children of esteemed Italian design houses. Where designers such as Pininfarina and Bertone have penned gems like the Ferrari F599 and the Lamborghini Miura, they have also thrust the Peugeot 1007 and Skoda Favorit on unwary car shoppers (hey, even designers have to eat...).

iMotor (the same blokes who gave us the Bail Out Chrysler game) gives you the chance to beat them, and a couple of Bertone designs to boot. You may not agree with all of them (Subaru SVX?) but the better you wield the ugly stick, the more unfortunate designs you get to eradicate from the (virtual) world. However, as with many ugly-yet-enduring designs, the cars put up a good fight, so good luck getting to Level Two.

[Source: iMotor Mag]

Beat some ugly Italian designs with an ugly stick originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bertoneCitroenDaewoodesignersgameguigiaroHyundaiimotorPeugeotpininfarinasubaru SVXSubaruSvxuglyFri, 27 Mar 2009 14:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Industry crunch hitting design students hard]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/26/industry-crunch-hitting-design-students-hard/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/26/industry-crunch-hitting-design-students-hard/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/26/industry-crunch-hitting-design-students-hard/#commentsFiled under:



Another casualty in the collateral damage of auto industry woes: Graduating car designers are no longer finding jobs. The LA Times reports that in years past, manufacturer representatives would attend the Pasadena's Art Center College of Design's senior showcase and welcome a few visionaries into the hallowed world of car design. Now, manufacturer representation is down to one or two (if any), and those who show don't always end up hiring. For students who weren't chosen by manufacturers, the fallback was often working for a supplier, but these days, prospects there are just as bleak.

The fallback plan now for studious car design aspirants tends to be interiors or the world outside of car design. Those who can find any place at all in the car world will settle for penning A/C vents for now, and those who can't are looking at consumer appliances like cellular telephones. Although we have no doubt that current designers can deliver worthy goods when given the freedom to do so, as car enthusiasts, we look forward to when the gates open up again for the greatest minds of the collegiate generation.

[Source: LA Times]

Industry crunch hitting design students hard originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto industryauto industry bailoutauto industry outlookAutoIndustryAutoIndustryBailoutAutoIndustryOutlookcar designcar designerCarDesignCarDesignerdesigndesignerdesignersFri, 26 Dec 2008 10:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Automakers tapped by <i>CAR</i> to redesign Santa's sled]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/18/automakers-tapped-by-i-car-i-to-redesign-santas-sled/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/18/automakers-tapped-by-i-car-i-to-redesign-santas-sled/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/18/automakers-tapped-by-i-car-i-to-redesign-santas-sled/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


Click above for a high-res image of Santa Claus' Bentley Continental GTC

Thanks to CAR and a few masters of vehicular design, Santa is bringing some serious automotive enthusiast cheer. The glossy euro mag asked designers from Ford, Bentley, Nissan and Rolls-Royce to design some sleighs for Santa, and while a few of them look to be from the land of misfit toys -- and one of them looks like Santa's Death Star -- it's a fabulously cool exercise. Nissan's intergalactic sleigh is pulled by a GT-R, Bentley's got a W12-powered sled, Ford's got some popout snowboard action happening, and the Rolls sleigh looks, of course, like Santa should have a snifter of Louis XIV in one delicately gloved hand while an elf named Jeeves tends the Smythson leather reins. Check them all out here.

[Source: CAR]

Automakers tapped by CAR to redesign Santa's sled originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bentleycar magazineCarMagazinechristmasdesignersfordholidaysnissanrolls-roycesanta clausSantaClaussantas sleighSantasSleighsleighThu, 18 Dec 2008 09:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Lexus looking for successor to L-Finesse design]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/30/lexus-looking-for-successor-to-l-finesse-design/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/30/lexus-looking-for-successor-to-l-finesse-design/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/30/lexus-looking-for-successor-to-l-finesse-design/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A roadster concept.

Lexus' L-finesse design language was meant to stand for "Seamless Anticipation," "Intriguing Elegance," and "Incisive Simplicity." If we put aside the marketing speak for a moment, the point of L-f was to give Lexus design a greater emotional connection with consumers. While it certainly didn't stop Lexus from selling more cars, we have a feeling that the increased number of wavy lines simply didn't resonate with the public quite like it was meant to.

Now Lexus is looking for a successor to L-finesse. Emotional connection from a purely design standpoint -- not "I just love my Toyota!" -- has been a weak point for Japanese cars in this country. Even the GT-R, the LF-A and the last Supra, technological tour-de-forces that they are (or were or will be), and for as much emotion as they inspire, are not pretty cars. The LS is a good looking car, but we wouldn't call it inspiring. Yet Lexus has a pretty good grasp on what its customers are looking for, so while we can't imagine that whatever's coming is going to be outrageous, we can hope that it will be a little less birds and clouds and a little more visceral.

[Source: Winding Road]

Gallery: Lexus LF-A Roadster

Lexus looking for successor to L-Finesse design originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car designCarDesigndesignersl-finesselexuslexus designLexusDesignWed, 30 Jan 2008 09:21:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Creating the Tiguan with clay and a chisel]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/30/video-creating-the-tiguan-with-clay-and-a-chisel/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/30/video-creating-the-tiguan-with-clay-and-a-chisel/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/30/video-creating-the-tiguan-with-clay-and-a-chisel/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



The Volkswagen Tiguan is VW's next best hope to bring volume to the US market, and the German automaker is pulling out all the stops. First, VW priced it at $22,000, which is a welcome change from the excessive bounties needed to secure many other Volkswagens. VW also intends to parther the 2.0T base car with a 40 mpg diesel model. Sure, so it has a ridiculous and forgettable name, but it looks pretty good, and the interior is terrific.

The video posted after the jump shows how the small CUV was designed with clay, hand tools, and a crazy-looking automated mill that looks like some kind of James Bond torture device. Hit the jump to view it. It's pretty interesting to see these craftsmen applying their trade using some of the most basic tools to create something so complex.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Creating the Tiguan with clay and a chisel

VIDEO: Creating the Tiguan with clay and a chisel originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2.0TClay modelingClayModelingDesignersDieselVolkswagenVW TiguanVwTiguanFri, 30 Nov 2007 18:38:00 EST