In-car LCD screens from Mercedes, BMW, and Cadillac are now measured not in inches, but in feet, and continue to proliferate. With all this digitization and technology disconnecting drivers from the experience of driving, the latest trend in top-tier automobiles is direct and analog engagement. “Complexity and craftsmanship has become the real luxury,” says Bugatti CEO Maté Rimac.
“We started by thinking we would use known methods,” design lead Tisha Johnson says. “But our success really has to do with us just throwing out the playbook.”
Because General Motors was essentially creating the discipline of “car designer”, there was no pipeline or institutions for training new automobile stylists. To scale up, in 1938 GM decided to create its own proprietary school and curriculum.
My first story for the beautiful new (Rory Carroll-helmed) automotive lifestyle publication, ALLOY. Check it out!
Two years ago, my latest book project, “The Atlas of Car Design” was released by the wonderful art and design press Phaidon. Thanks to many of you, it was widely and enthusiastically reviewed in the automotive and general interest press. Even more thanks to many of you, the first print run of the oversized coffee table book sold out, despite its elevated scale and price ($150!!)
Selling out is apparently a good thing. Because today, Phaidon is releasing a second run of the book. It features all of the 650 cars, gorgeous offbeat archival images, and wonderful writing that made the first edition a hit. But it has shrunk the dimensions and the cost to something far more manageable, a mere $59 if you order through the link below. (Also, the new edition is a lovely steely grey, instead of the black or red of the first gen.)
So, if you were unsure about purchasing the book previously, or you thought that car lover in your life didn’t deserve such a extravagant gift, or you’re just a Chintzy Bltch, now you have no excuse. Click and buy right now! Maybe this one will sell out too, and Phaidon will let me write other books about other topics you (and I) love.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom has been around for 100 years, and in that time, it has proven itself to be wildly popular with two core constituencies: famous entertainers, and autocratic despots. I tell you exactly why in the latest print issue of The Hollywood Reporter, but present a link to the digital version here, for you Chintzy Bltches.
Why are Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram pivoting away from electric cars and back toward guzzly V8 gas engines? Short-term profits, a pernicious petroleum addiction, and kowtowing to a petty autocrat, for starters. But where does this leave them, and us, in an electrified future?
Given the cooling in the electric vehicle market–caused in no small part by the current administration’s scattershot tariffs and resolute antipathy toward EVs –what is the plan for Volkswagen’s relaunch of the fabled Scout brand as an rugged electrified truck brand? I get all the answers from Scout CEO Scott Keogh.
The Wagoneer S is pricey for its category, and while we appreciate the Launch edition’s performance, quality, and desirable luxury features, its lack of refinement in the ride category makes it a difficult proposition for us to recommend at this price point.
Since Liu has conquered the dramatic, visual, and audio arts, it seems worthwhile to ask if she’s interested in taking on something else, like modern dance. “I mean, get me on the dance floor,” she says, laughing.
The Vanquish coupe is a menacing bruiser with the stunning good looks of a mature male model. The Vanquish Volante is that guy with his top off. You can’t stop staring.