Leading up to the Geneva Motor Show 2009 eyes are peeled to see what the struggling automotive industry can put on show and how the crisis is affecting styling, especially green design. It looks like everyone is sticking to their eco agendas, such as GM’s Ampera using Chevrolet’s Volt chassis architecture, while others, like Bentley’s first biofuel Continental Supersports, will be joining the field for the first time. From plug-in sports cars, read Fisker’s Karma S, to BMW’s segment breaking Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo, and Rinspeed’s expanding innovative iChange the show is set to confirm what our second group of design experts believe, that design defines itself in hard times. This is part two which follows Part 1 – the Green Design Challenge…aptly re-named Keeping the Faith inspired by Dr. Ram Charan’s quote, “Keep the faith, be tough in a tough environment, we will find solutions.”

David Hilton, a former Ford designer, is the founder of Motorcity Europe. Although his background is in design his studio is partnered with Bertrandt GmBh in Germany giving them the capability to make full size models inside and out as well as their signature ‘cool’ styling. Hilton’s position as an independent automotive studio sheds a different light on green car design in critical economies.

GCD : How do you believe that cost cutting in the automotive industry will affect automotive design?

Hilton : Well, lower budgets mean less work being done. We have already seen this with Mercedes, VW, BMW and other Euro companies going to the 4 day work week this year. In general, the internal OEM Design groups will be forced to do more with less. This has happened before and generally serves as a wake up call for the Industry. I have always preached that a good Designer can make gold out of dirt, or in our case, clay. Creativity will be challenged during challenging times. The good news is that great Automotive Design lies simply in the minds of the Automotive Designers. The products these Designers are now challenged to create must be extremely clever, innovative and efficient in execution - fewer parts with less flash. As one of the few Independent Car Designers in our business, for me it means a potential of more outsourcing from the OEM's. It costs often less for the larger Auto companies to outsource quick turn-key projects to disposable resources for fixed budgets.

GCD: Do you think that the downturn in the economy worldwide will be counterproductive for green automotive design?

Hilton: I think the downturn will support Green Automotive Design. Once again, the OEM's will have to do more with less. Customers are demanding more fuel-efficient vehicles within lower price points. Unfortunately, oil still rules. To change this, we need times like today in order to force the larger producers to react on demands. Look at what has already happened in the US: the once powerful Truck segment is diminishing rapidly. TATA and the East Asians are seriously introducing cars like the Nano and other hybrids. The industry is recognizing profit in efficiency, due to demand. It will only be a small matter of time.

GCD: Can design thrive in a recession?

Hilton : Yes. During downturns, the larger car companies traditionally invest in the future to a degree. The good news is that the development budgets for 'Styling' a car are actually a small percentage of the total R&D program costs. While the expensive 'tooling up' for a mass production vehicle can be temporarily put on hold, it does not mean that concept development must stagnate. Creative research costs far less than the actual feasibility Engineering aggregate. Thus, the OEM's can work ahead in style and concept in preparation for the future, for when these ideas may be called to light.

Bumsuk Lim, professor of design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, has a long history in the automotive industry. An Alumnus of the College where he teaches now Lim worked as a designer at General Motors Advanced Concepts Center in Detroit and Honda Advanced Design Studio-WAVE in Tokyo. His passion for motorcycles and a new found respect for green technologies has made him initiate a first of its kind motorcycle design course at Art Center influencing the future of green designers.

GCD: How do you believe that cost cutting in the automotive industry will affect automotive design?

Lim: We are already seeing the number of concept cars in recent auto shows dwindle. The financial department’s decisions will trickle down to design studios – they will start with expensive materials like carbon fiber, titanium, while others will be stored for better times. Design themes will be more focused on manufacturing and cost cutting, ideas such as non-painted finish and sharing parts will be more common. What I am concerned the most about isn’t shoe string budgets or cancellation of projects, it’s the gloomy air in design studios that can have an even greater effect on designers, it can cast a dark shadow over bright creativity.

GCD: Do you think that the downturn in the economy worldwide will be counterproductive for green automotive design?

Lim: Any crisis can be an opportunity for new starters. We just have to look back a century to see that is was a new technology, the internal combustion engine powered automobile, that arrived in the market and kick-started a new business boom. This magnitude of global economic crisis is a once in a century occurrence and this opens a path for small-scale inventors and entrepreneurs with bright ideas and savvy minds. I believe this period will be remembered as the genesis of the green automotive design era. We will witness a burgeoning boom of small car companies with green design ideas.

GCD: Can design thrive in a recession?

Lim : Yes it will. Some of the most inspiring designs came during difficult times. Back in mid 1980’s US automakers were facing a tough challenge yet they introduced some of the most successful cars like the wind-cheating sleek Ford ‘Taurus’. Concept cars from GM during same time, such as ‘Indy Corvette’, inspired many car designers around the globe. True creativity will shine in times like this. The number of comic-book designs made just for one-off auto show concept cars will shrink, intelligent and authentic designs will immerge. I am very much looking forward to a new era of green design that really touches people’s hearts and talks to both sides of the brain.

You may remember Masato Inoue, Chief Designer of Nissan's Exploratory Design Department, from our interview with him last year. He is ‘denki-san’, Mr. Electricity, the man behind Nissan’s plug-in push. With almost 2 decades of experience he is a master at designing Japanese electric delights, and can tell us a thing or two about what the future holds.

GCD: How do you believe that cost cutting in the automotive industry will affect automotive design?

Inoue : The number of new cars coming out will decrease and the total number of car designers we need may be lower than that of now. But design quality of the car cannot be lowered because competition still remains high. So the effect in terms of shape would be not that much. Brother-sister car may be increase, and cheap smart kinds of cars will be appreciated.

GCD: Do you think that the downturn in the economy worldwide will be counterproductive for green automotive design?

Inoue : I don’t think so because to have green automotive technology is a passport to survive for auto industry. For example, Governments help companies with more green technologies. Recession is one thing but ecology also requires our very quick action.

GCD: Can design thrive in a recession?

Inoue: Yes. Automotive is one of the basic desires of human beings nowadays. We already experienced several crisis such as oil shock, gas requirements etc… but a few years later we always had come back with even better performing cars! I think it is very important for a car designer, from now on to be knowledgeable and experienced about sustainable materials, electric powertrains etc, and create new fun to lead customers towards a sustainable society. People who are part of mass production have to have this belief.