Both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and TechnoRide are reporting on interesting trends affecting vehicle
design.
According to the former, automobile and SUV styling is becoming edgier and more menacing,
backtracking from previous attempts to make them more friendly-looking. (Remember the Dodge Neon and its ‘Hi’
advertising?) Examples include the slanted headlights of the BMW 3-Series; the Dodge Charger and its ‘tiger eyes’; and
the Audi Q7 and its gaping mouth of a grill. The Mazda Miata, with its ‘winking cartoon character’ fascia also follows
the trend. “The original Miata had a happy smile,” said Ken Seward, lead designer for Mazda. “The new
one has more of a sly grin.”
The reason for the shift, designers argue, is that drivers are feeling
threatened by large SUVs, increased traffic, and other road hazards, and may be seeking security by projecting a
more aggressive image with their vehicles.
Motorcycle design, on the other hand, is going in the opposite direction. Honda
and the Wako Research Center have determined that drivers and pedestrian notice objects that have anything akin to a
human face. Honda has developed an experimental motorcycle, the ASV-3 (pictured), with a distinctly human-looking
fairing, in an effort to draw more attention to the bike and its rider.
[Source: Wall Street Journal via
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and TechnoRide.com]