The State of Auto Design?

Since the kick off of the 2007 North American Auto Show last week, I have been thinking about the state of the American car makers and auto design. (photo:Lexus)

Having grown up in Detroit a visit to the Auto show was a rite of passage, but things have changed and the industry is shifting away from American domination. It seems that the spirit/passion of developing products has been slowly slipping for decades and with each passing year the search for purpose and reason (along with market share) is being captured more by foreign manufacturers. Toyota leads with an effective business strategy and BMW with inspired designs.

On the basic level of form, when I think of Ford generic is a word that comes to mind. The same can be said for GM, whereas Chrysler does have some distinctive forms that come to mind. Specifically, the 300 full size sedan, the line of Dodge products that have a unifying language and Jeep goes without saying.

On the cosmetic level interior lighting seems to be one of the trends coming out of the show this year.