Paris 2010: Design Disasters

By John LeBlanc PARIS, France – Is it me, or is car design in a bit of a funk? Maybe it’s the new pedestrian laws—that are demanding higher hoodlines and subsequently taller (i.e. odd) proportions. Or maybe the financial demand of making the tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations has crunched automotive design department budgets. Whatever it is, there were some debuts at this year’s Paris auto show that if they were Broadway shows, would be shut down before the last final of opening night.

BMW 6 Series Coupé - For the initiated, the new, third-generation 6 Series Coupé may seem as a bit of a surprise. Compared to the 2003 to 2010 big BMW two-door, this one’s bigger, and more conservatively drawn. Understandable, as the neu 6er is essentially a two-door version of the neu 5er midsize sedan, itself based on the full-size 7er. Just as BMW seems to be recoiling from the daring designs penned under former head pen, Chris Bangle, its cars are starting to look like the cautiously-designed BMW’s of old—same sausage, different length. The result? In one fell swoop, the new 6 has become an old man’s car.

2012 Ford Focus - Although it took someone from airplane maker Boeing to figure it out, Ford’s finally clued in that new car buyers’ tastes aren’t all that different on both sides of the Atlantic. Ford CEO (and former Boeing head) Alan Mulally’s One Ford global product plan, sees its most pure result to date in the new Focus family, first seen in its entirety for the first time here in Paris. It’s essentially the same car, whether you’re a customer in London, England, or London, Ontario.But to tell you the truth, from a design standpoint, I’m already regretting the crisper and more distinctive-looking last generation Focus, the one we Canadians completely missed out on. In trying to keep to many markets happy, it looks like Ford made the new Focus a bit too generic to my eye. And puh-leese, what’s with the pike-like front end?

Jaguar C-X75 - Underneath the C-X75’ss kin, Jaguar has presented a unique solution to the threat of tougher fuel economy regulations. Two, tiny turbine engines act as “range extenders,” charging the lithium ion batteries that deliver power to the C-X75’s four in-wheel electric motors. At low speeds, zero-emissions. But its capable of short bursts up to over 400 km/h, making it the fastest hybrid ever conceived. Fantastic, eh? But then there’s the C-X75 busy looks. Let’s break it down: the silver-with-green-highlights paint scheme was stolen from the Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid concept from this year’s Geneva show; the back end looks like a rip-off o the GY by Citroen from the last Paris show two years ago; . while the C-X75’s front looks like it was traced from the ill-fated XJ-220 from the 1980s.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento - Surely, one of the most hotly anticipated debuts at this year’s Paris auto show was going to be the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept. No automaker teased us leading up to the show than Lamborghini. But for me, the Sesto ended up one of the biggest styling disappointments. This is one busy piece of carbon-fibre sculpture, looking more like it came from the garages at rival Italian super sports car maker Pagani, and hardly worth mentioning in the same breath as design classics as the  to some classics the Miura, Countach, Diablo, Murcielago, Gallardo or Reventon.

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS - Few sequels are as good as the original. I dare you to try and sit through a viewing of 1988’s Caddyshack II after watching the 1980 original. So the pressure must been on the Mercedes designers who were burdened with the job of having to follow-up on the original and highly influential 2003 CLS, a car that created a how new automotive genre: the so-called “four-door coupé.” The first CLS is being heralded as a future collectible. This second, I’m betting, probably not. Whereas the beauty of the first CLS was mainly found in the fact that it owed nothing in it style to any other ‘Benz product of the time, the just-released 2012 version is a compendium of Mercedes’ styling cues. And the result is quite mixed. With a roofline from the S Class, a front-end that even Merc admits was stolen from the SLS AMG Gullwing super car, and rear fenders borrowed from the current E Class (which originally were inspired by the Mercedes “Pontoon fender” sedans of the 1950s), the new CLS has ended up as a cartoon of the original.

2011 Peugeot 508 - I think my online translator has a glitch. I just punched in “Peugeot” and apparently it means “lost design cause” in English. Ever since the brand lost its 205 supermini in the late 1990s, it’s become the Saturn of French cars—cheap, cheerful, but dull as dirt. But at this year’s Geneva show, held Peugeot stunned observers with its original and well-received SR1 roadster concept. The hope was that some of the spirit of the SR1 would trickle down to spice up some its currently drowsy offerings. But the new 508 sedan—which supposedly was inspired by the SR1—looks like a near carbon copy of Nissan’s current Maxima. If this is progress, Peugeot needs help. Again.

Peugeot HR1 - Peugeot says its designers mixed in design cues from a city car, a two-door coupe and an SUV, into the final look of its HR1 hybrid concept. Is anyone surprised the end result is more “dog’s breakfast” than “design icon”? It’s too bad. Because underneath the HR1’s weird looks is of some interest: a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder gasoline engine in front and a 37 hp electric motor positioned in the rear of the vehicle combined for 147 hp, with fuel consumption at to 3.5 L/100 km. While the drivetrain may someday find its way under a production Peugeot, thankfully, the French automaker is saying there are no current plans to put the HR1 on sale.

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