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DETROIT
-- Despite the early morning hours of January 12 being
dampened by rain, they were more highlighted by a compiled group
of several key design influences in the global automotive industry.
Their purpose was to discuss their personal and company contributions
during the 2012 Autoweek Design Forum, held on the 11th floor
of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education.
Despite moderator
representation from the likes of Autoweek Media Group Vice President
and Publisher K.C. Crain, Dutch Mandel and Wes Raynal, the guest
figures of focus that day numbered five. The first to appear were
Max Wolff, Design Director for Lincoln, Director Clay Dean of
Cadillac, and Kia’s Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer.
After receiving
fifteen minutes each to discuss affairs surrounding their companies,
the trio joined together to share and volley answers from the
moderator and audience about the state of automotive design. When
asked about the need for dedication to their most popular products,
Schreyer replied that “It’s not possible to be a luxury
brand from one day to another.” As Wolff put it, “You
have to have the right level of change between brands.”
When asked
where the designer ranks in the company plan for such future endeavors,
Dean noted that it comes down to how and what presented ideas
provide to the overall picture. “[The] aspect of creativity
is part of the creative process. You hope to find the little surprises.”
Dean’s
comment on such detail in style was a nice segue into the address
by the keynote speaker, Senior Vice President [of] Design Peter
Horbury of the Geely Group. A British-raised figure in the industry,
Horbury noted that “If you reflect where you come from,
you get a sellable global product.” Hence, Hornbury mainly
endorsed a brand of “Scandinavian design influence”
in the model of auto frames and parts based on the goal of “perfection.”
Closing out
the proceedings, just before a provided luncheon, Nest Founder
and CEO Tony Fadell voiced concerns on future dependence of multimedia
dependence within the vehicle. “We’re about distraction,
we come from two different worlds. A car for these kinds of products
is a display of monitor and mouse,” cautioning that such
applications would be dangerously more eye-catching than the road.
Still, Fadell
was optimistic about the transition in fuel sources that he gave
this closing belief: “When we go to more electrics, it will
get simpler.” With the issue of road infrastructure strength
looming high, promises of less costly power is one comfy seat
to lean back on.
For more
information on the AutoWeek Design Forum, visit
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