ICM - Leeds Design Agency

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of one of the world’s most iconic vehicles Hermès has designed a beautifully tailored outfit that highlights the vehicle’s curvaceous and generous forms.

Repainted in a rather fashionable hue of brown, the car gains a natural leather trim on the door facings, interior rear view mirror, gear knob, steering wheel and driver’s sun visor. For an even more elegant finish, the two seats are upholstered in Hermès grey-beige cotton canvas and natural leather. As a finishing touch, the bonnet and interior trim at the rear of the vehicle also feature Hermès cotton canvas.

So, your starter-for-ten, name the car…

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As an avid petrol-head as well as a designer, I have a great interest in automotive design. Of the many websites I keep in touch with, one of them is SeriousWheels, a great source of up-and-coming trends in automotive design, as well as looking back at tendencies from the past.

One vehicle that I’m always waiting to see is ‘the good-looking, green vehicle’. The one that runs on something other than conventional fuels, it might be a hybrid, electric, hydrogen, whatever. There seems to be a trend that small eco-cars must have a cute, smiley face to portray it’s non-harming, kitten-loving nature?!

Throughout the ages the general rule has been; the more powerful (and expensive) the vehicle is – the angrier and more imposing its face becomes.

For example:

Here’s the Nissan Nuvu; a zero-emission electric city car. With a face that seems to be puckering up to give you a nice big kiss on the cheek.

And here’s a Brabus Mercedes C-Class:

It laughs in the face of fuel consumption figures and has a face angrier than Mr. Angry himself.

There’s loads of studies into what different consumers read from this, its called geometric morphometrics. Many car manufactures use this system with both male and female subjects to rate certain traits on a sliding scale (such as “infancy” to “adulthood”). The traits represented maturity, sex, attitudes, emotions, and personality — all things that people infer from human faces at a single glance.

This data is then used as part of the design process that goes into many of the vehicles on the road today.

So when, if at all, will the crossover occur? Will we ever have an aggressive-looking electric city-car, or a cute and smiley high performance machine?

I for one would certainly like to see a less cutesy-looking eco-machine.

Does your car make you smile? Even though it may look at you with a frown. Or does it make you angry with it’s constantly fixed gr…

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Launched at the Paris Motor Show, the GTbyCITROËN is the first ever car to be specifically designed to bring the virtual and real worlds together. Visitors can actually drive the car in a true to life simulator on the Citroën stand.

A joint venture between Citroën and Polyphony Digital Inc, the makers of Gran Turismo, GTbyCITROËN was created for the eagerly awaited fifth game in the multi-million selling Playstation series.

The press release says: At almost five metres long, GTbyCITROËN packs the latest hi-tech racing equipment into an exaggerated sporty frame. Planted on 21-inch, diamond-effect, aluminium wheels, the car’s gullwing doors, over-sized rear end with mobile spoiler, gaping air intakes and flat underside exude the qualities of an accomplished racer.

But is it real?

Will it ever go into production? Or is it merely a mule to plant a brand into the mind of a 10 year old gamer?

There’s loads more images, renders, sketches, and some great shots of the real vehicle being created over on the SeriousWheels websi…

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