Automobile Blog

A Style Fest in Switzerland
THIS year’s Salon International de l’Automobile, now in full swing, shows how automakers have rediscovered something they ignored at considerable cost: consumers want more stylish cars.

A profusion of adventurous designs at the Geneva auto show confirms that the era of automotive Bauhaus is over.

For instance, two Ford vans flaunt the company’s new “kinetic” designs for Europe. An energetic Volkswagen design study melds sport utility with sporty coupe. VW’s Skoda subsidiary broke with tradition by showing a tall wagon that is functional but stylish. Toyota rolled out cars designed by Europeans, in Europe, for Europeans.

These companies lack a long history of styling with flair, yet distinctive design is now at the center of all their strategies. “We’re going for nothing less than design leadership,” said Martin Smith, who is charged with establishing a new look for Fords outside North America. Previously, at General Motors, he developed the sporty look of recent Opels.

The first glimpse of his ideas for Ford is the S-Max, a muscular-looking compact van that made its debut here last week. The Galaxy minivan has some of the same style, and other European Fords will get it in undiluted form as they are replaced.

Admiring VW’s Concept A crossover, Adrian Hallmark, the company’s executive vice president for North America, said: “VW needs another direction” in design, adding, “This company does best when it leads design trends.”

Peter Horbury, the former Volvo designer now responsible for the look of Fords, Lincolns and Mercurys in the United States, credits the French - Renault, Peugeot and Citroën - with leading the design revival. The effect of design on their recent commercial success has inspired rivals.

With quality, reliability and prices essentially the same, Mr. Horbury said: “Top managements have realized that design is the great differentiator. They’re not being led now by market research and opinions of nonprofessionals.”

John Wormald, a British-based partner at Autopolis, a consulting firm, agreed that the “automotive styling industry has the wind in its sails.”

Among the vehicles shown in Geneva, here are four of particular interest:

VOLVO S80 Although it is the first to use Ford’s new front-drive architecture, and will come with a new straight-6 engine or a Yamaha-designed V-8, the redesigned sedan is a dead ringer for the existing S80. Sales start in June in Europe and in the United States next year.

DODGE HORNET This design study for a crisp small Euro-hatchback indicates that the Chrysler Group, which has focused mainly on North America, is now aiming to tailor new products to foreign markets.

ALFA ROMEO 159 Alfa still plans to return to the American market, but not until its health improves in Europe. So Americans are unlikely to sample the new wagon and Spyder convertible that the company unveiled here. Global sales would need to roughly double before Alfa crosses the Atlantic, though executives think this is possible as early as 2008, given the cascade of new models. “The policy is there, but the timing is not,” said Richard Gadeselli, vice president for international corporate affairs at Fiat, the parent of Alfa.

CADILLAC BLS G.M. is mounting an assault on Europe with an additional, smaller Cadillac that will not be sold in the United States. While it has the creased look of other Cadillacs, the BLS is a technical relative of the Saab 9-3 and will be made in Sweden. Kroymans, a Dutch retail group, has sold Cadillacs across Europe for two years. Sales were just 2,500 last year, but the goal is around 10,000 annually by 2010.