importance of car design

These days a lot of emphasis has been put on the car's safety, performance and fuel economy. The one thing that many take for granted is the way it looks. Having a aesthetically well designed car pays dividends when it comes to sales. To many non car enthusiasts, a beautiful car strikes at the emotional aspect that will spur the impulse buy or aspire to buy  feeling. When you are "wowed!" by the car when you see it, the chances of you wanting to own it is that much greater. This is the same for any product. Form over functionality leads the way.

Some car companies that have been getting this eye pleasing design point right have enjoyed good sales around the world. The engineering points have somehow taken the back seat. When a car buyer walks into the car showroom, the way the car looks, the colour, styling and presentation will have an impact on how well it will sell. On the other hand, ugly cars have always been more difficult to sell and it depends more on it engineering achievements to sell.

Car companies such Mazda have consistently designed good looking cars that help the company achieve decent sales figures. Mazda cars are not known for their engineering feats nor are they at the cutting edge of automotive technology. In comparison, car companies such as Subaru who are known for ugly cars have relied heavily on its performance and racing heritage to sell its cars. Both brands strike at different emotional cords, one for beauty and the other for driving experience.

A good example of boosting sales with good aesthetic design is the new range Kias and Hyundais. Pinching top European designers to help pen new models have tremendously boosted the image and sales for Kia worldwide. The best example is the new Kia Sportage and Kia Optima K5. Both these models have created a big impact on the brand image of Kia. Likewise for the Hyundai Elantra MD which has gone on to win many international car awards.

No car manufacturer have been spared the odd ugly design. Even companies like Ferrari who have traditionally been known for their cutting edge design have had the odd ugly duckling, for example the F360 Modena and the new California.