Design

A strong sense of aesthetics

We have already highlighted the excellent image cars have among those who drive them. This opinion should be taken at face value if we are to believe the positive assessment motorists make of their design. This factor is the third lever in the recovery of the automotive industry. 7 out of 10 people say they are very interested in the design of their car. (Fig. 38).

This is particularly true in China, where an ostentatious side has persisted more than in other countries in recent years, even if the days of parading down the avenues of major Chinese cities in testosterone-fuelled racing cars seem (quite rightly) to be over. However, this is also the case in Italy, Poland and Portugal. For once, the Turks are at the very bottom of the rankings, their low opinion of 54% reflecting a more pragmatic than aesthetic approach to the car.

Conversely, younger generations and those on higher incomes claim to be the most receptive to an attractive design.

Design appeals, yes, but…

Manufacturers seem to have come up with a response to this interest in aesthetics that satisfies motorists. (Fig. 39).

Two-thirds of them are attracted by the design of today’s new cars and believe that they offer a variety of designs. In China and Turkey, the enthusiasm is unmistakable.

You have to look to Western Europe to find people who are less convinced. With the exception of Spain and Poland, around 4 out of 10 European motorists are not won over by current vehicles and criticise their lack of stylistic diversity.

There is therefore considerable scope for development to meet expectations by activating the lever linked to style.

Looks matter

There’s another factor that reinforces this ever-greater attention to design, the first tangible argument that a vehicle conveys to its potential owner.

A further sign of its importance is that almost 7 out of 10 people say they are attracted by the look of a car they see in the street. In China, Turkey, Poland and Spain, this attraction is particularly strong.

An interest in lasting style and novelty

Generally speaking, beyond a single envious glance in the street, there is still a keen interest in new models. Just under 3 in 10 motorists say they are less interested in new models than they were 10 years ago. (Fig. 41).

In this respect, we find the same geographical divides. Turkey and China are still leading the way in being attracted to new models. Less attention is paid to new models in European countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain.

France stands out for its relatively stable attention over this period (40%). The above-average interest in new models is still very much the preserve of young people, high-income earners and people living in large cities. According to Raymond Loewy, one of the world’s greatest designers, who created not only soup cans and cigarette packets, but also cars, ‘Ugliness does not sell’.* The opinions expressed by respondents in this study certainly prove him right, showing that the automotive sector’s ability to bounce back depends on more attention being paid to design.

* French title of his autobiography, Never Leave Well Enough Alone.