Working in Germany I was thrown in the deep end of perceived quality research, taking more macro shots of headlamps, instrument panels and door cards than I care to remember. Yet I’m happy to come right out and say it: perceived quality fascinates me.
Gear shifter from the new Audi A8 (click to enlarge with caution, you might wet yourself...)
The way the tricks we use – from the amazingly detailed design of touch zones in a car interior to a superbly detailed tail lamp enclosure – coalesce to convince consumers that a product that feels good must be good, no matter the integrity of the engineering underneath the skin is a delightful thing. Take a look at the gear shift above and you might get an inkling of what I’m talking about.
Perceived quality’s a psychological game played by designers and engineers that reaps massive rewards for the companies that do it right. Just ask VW, who started on a head-long rush to improve the improve feel-good factor of everyday cars with a couple of otherwise unremarkable vehicles in ’96-’97. Read the rest of this entry »
Ford’s new Focus has been unleashed a full year ahead of it’s European on-sale date and it’s already generating substantial comment in the sphere of the blogs. Ed Stubbs and Dustin Shedlarski have both written interesting critiques of a design that I, personally, find a little schizophrenic. But let’s face it: when you’re trying to design one C-Segment product for two markets – one that’s been downsized for decades and another that’s only just coming to terms with the concept – things are bound to get a little hectic. Read the rest of this entry »
I was asked early last year what my opinion was on the future of the C Segment and what I believed then is what I still belive now: C Segment cars are too big, too space inefficient and, crucially, too heavy.
My conclusion was that any forward thinking manufacturer would take a similar approach to the one Mazda took when redesigning the 2: downsize and lighten up.
Following this assertion, I had a period of wondering if it would come true as each successive C Segment preview and launch continued the trend for bloat. Even Mazda, who has lead the recent focus on generational weight management let their game slip with the new 3.
Well it looks like VW is taking the lead with rumours pointing to a lighter, smaller MK VII Golf for 2012. The Golf has been one of the clearest indicators of C Segment bloat and to see a Mk 1 GTi parked next to a Mk V R32 is to understand why that later car needs 250ps and an Arabian oil field to be fun. It weighs 1612 Kg for pity’s sake! So talk of a smaller platform, lighter materials and a focus on small-capacity engines with amazing HCCI technology was music to my ears.
Having observed with wonder as VW’s engineers sent to market paragons of capability such as the Veyron and mental engines such as a V5, W12 and V10 TDi, it’s clear the intelligence is there. It’s seems it’s now being directed in a thoroughly useful, more sustainable direction.
[Source: Auto Express Image: Wiki Commons]
