#Styling

Are you a fan of the Porsche Panamera’s design? Love it or, well, not, the company’s CEO Matthias Müller said the next generation of this luxury sedan must have improved styling.

In case owning a designer electric vehicle just wasn’t enough BMW has introduced an interesting solar carport concept that tops-off your EV’s battery while looking good at the same time.

In case you haven’t heard the news, J Mays is retiring from Ford. As group vice president and chief creative officer of Blue Oval design he’s kind of a big deal. But that’s not the extent of his achievements. Mays’ automotive career spans more than three decades with tenure at companies far beyond the one headquartered Dearborn, Mich.

“EXCITING H DESIGN!!!” That’s the name of Honda’s newest styling language, capital letters and three exclamation points included. What does this nonsense mean? Hit the jump for more details.

After years on the market, today’s Mazda3 is still one of the best C-Segment cars available, but it’s something of a controversial vehicle. It may be great to drive, exceedingly functional and built to last, but a lot of people take issue with its grille. The car’s front end looks like the face of a mouth-breathing mudpuppy. To the relief of many that gaping maw is a thing of the past with Mazda’s brand-new 2014 model.

When it comes to automotive styling numerous design trends are popular today, but future vehicles are guaranteed to look very different. Functional styling elements will likely play a bigger role in exterior design, things like integrated air vents and spoilers. Naturally vehicle interiors will receive major updates as well, but arguably government regulations are the most important things driving change. Ever-increasing safety and fuel-economy standards are impacting automotive design in major ways.

Are you self-conscious? Don’t like to stand out in a crowd? Would you rather blend into the background than be the center of attention? Well, when it comes to the automotive world, you are in luck. Some vehicles seem to have skipped class when it came time for their styling lesson. This is not to say they are ugly, but more that they lack any style whatsoever.

Bullying isn’t funny… unless it involves a couple of car companies calling each other’s products ugly. Then its hysterical. 

Audi, long an industry benchmark of style and craftsmanship is headed in a new design direction. Criticized for having nearly indistinguishable model designs as of late, in the future there will be greater differentiation between the German luxury automaker’s models.

While Honda plays doctor with its unpopular Crosstour, Acura is taking on a different role for its 2013 ZDX crossover: Mortician.

Toyota’s next generation Corolla is expected to hit American dealerships next year, and the automaker is suggesting that the styling update will be an even more dramatic shift than what was seen with the unveiling of the brand new Avalon.

Sliding in new directions both mechanically and stylistically, Acura is taking steps to revitalize itself as a brand, but will keep its notoriously “beaky” front end look despite its questionable reception.

Toyota‘s new styling chief, Dezi Nagaya, wants to abandon the company’s previous conservative design language for a new direction that is “…more dynamic, more masculine, sportier, with a more obvious design theme and a face to represent the company and the brand.”