GIORGETTO GIUGIARO TO RECEIVE THE «PREMIO FELTRINELLI» IN ROME.

Alfa Romeo, Car Design, Car Styling, Designers, Events and Seminars, Italdesign Giugiaro, Italian Coachbuilders 5 Comments »

By Giancarlo Perini ©

The genius of Giorgetto Giugiaro will be celebrated on November 8th in Rome, Italy by the highest Italian cultural institution »Accademia dei Lincei»

Mr. Giugiaro will be awarded the «2013 Antonio Feltrinelli Prize» that can be labelled the Italian «Nobel» as it celebrates – since 1931 – the world masters in the fields of Moral and Historic Sciences, Natural Physics and Mathematics, Literature, Art and Medecine.

Giugiaro will be joining celebrities such as Thomas Mann, Albert Sabin, Henri Moore, Giacomo Manzù, Bruno Rossi, Laurence Olivier, Igor Stravinsky, Rita Levi Montalcini, Gaetano Salvemini, and Eugenio Montale in this unique olympus.

Mr. Giugiaro will receive from Professor Emeritus Alberto Quadrio Curzio who will declare that the famous designer «can be considered the top living designer for his ability to apply the Italian creative fanciness in the area of automobile, trains and industrial products harmonizing aesthetics and engineering.»

The «Premio Feltrinelli» is the latest high prestige prize award to a genius that has already received, inter alia, seven Lauree Honoris Causa from universities around the world, five «Compasso d’Oro” and the “Car Designer of the Century Award».

Giorgetto Giugiaro is president of Italdesign-Giugiaro, a Turin based company of the Volkswagen Group.

Italdesign-Giugiaro was established in February 1968 as a design and engineering think-tank with a new and innovative holistic approach to car body design. It is estimated that Giugiaro’s company has developed the design for some 200 new cars. In 1971, Giugiaro expanded the company’s horizon and reach to the design and prototyping of all sort of products, from helicopter’s interior to home and office furniture, fron sun-glasses and watches to mega yacht interiors, now performed by Giugiaro Design and Giugiaro Architettura.

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MASTER IN CAR DESIGN SPONSORED BY ITALDESIGN-GIUGIARO TO FOCUS ON THE VW GOLF FOR 2020.

Automotive Design, Car Design, Design Schools, Designers, Italdesign Giugiaro No Comments »

By Giancarlo Perini ©

If designing cars is your dream and you have got the talent and all it take to become a professional, you have a unique chance to prove your potential to Walter De Silva, Fabrizio Giugiaro, Alessandro Dambrosio and Filippo Perini, through almost one year of learning process and eventually receive an invitation to be part of the team that will create a new car (or truck) for one of the 11 brands of the VW “Konzern”. Let’s just remind them: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Italdesign-Giugiaro, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Scania, Skoda, VW, VW Nutzfahrzeuge. Read the rest of this entry »

ItalDesign-Giugiaro to Unveil Two Concept Cars at Geneva

Automotive Design, Car Design, Concept cars, Designers, German Cars, Italdesign Giugiaro, Italian Coachbuilders, Motor Shows, Sear, Volkswagen 2 Comments »

by Giancarlo Perini (c)

According to unofficial sources, Italdesign is set to unveil two show cars at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show early next March. They will be the first ones to be designed by Maestro Giorgetto Giugiaro after the company, he established in 1968, has been acquired by the Volkswagen Group, last May.

A glimpse at one of the two “product concepts” is said to be previewed, very discreetly, by the company with the Christmas memento sent to a limited number of friends, clients and journalists. This is indeed the reproduction of a sketch penned by the Maestro that shows the exterior design of an attractive two-doors, four-seater coupé that could well be regarded as the 2011 Scirocco by Giugiaro. The difference here is that the “new coupe” bear the emblem of Seat.

The Spanish brand is currently the weakest member of the VW family and as such the one that needs the greatest and most urgent attention by the Group. It only makes sense that Giugiaro talent and attention goes to Seat.

Some years ago, VW’s supremo Ferdinand Piëch said that Seat’s mission was to challenge and beat Alfa Romeo on its own ground. The mission is far to be accomplished despite its success in the World Touring Car Championship .Now, while Fiat is keeping Volkswagen “on hold” for the acquisition of Alfa Romeo, the German group wants to look again at the potential of the Seat brand and see what can be done, should the Alfa Romeo deal take too long a time. As such it is also a discreet message to Sergio Marchionne.

The second show-car from Giorgetto Giugiaro to be seen in Geneva is rumoured to be a new hatchback that could well be  the “2011 vision of a Golf” by Giugiaro.

NEW FERRARI IN GENEVA

Automotive Design, Car Design, Designers, Ferrari, Hybrid Cars, Hybrids, Italdesign Giugiaro, Italian Cars, Italian Coachbuilders, Pininfarina, Sports Cars No Comments »

Architecture by Giugiaro. Design by Pininfarina.

By Giancarlo Perini ©

Ferrari GG 50 by Giugiaro.

The replacement for the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, expected to premiere early next March at the Geneva Motor Show, will certainly break new ground on different fronts, according to well placed sources. Read the rest of this entry »

BMW M TO LAUNCH NEW M1 COUPE AT THE DETROIT MOTOR SHOW.

BMW, Car Design, Car Styling, German Cars, Italdesign Giugiaro, Motor Shows, Sports Cars, Tuned for the road, coupé 1 Comment »

by Giancarlo Perini ©

The name sounds very familiar and recalls the mid-ship supercar designed by Giugiaro that actually marked the birth of the M (for “Motorsport”) branch of BMW.  That was 32 years ago.

Comes January 2011 and a “second generation” M1 Coupé will makes its World premiere at North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Read the rest of this entry »

Ferdinand Piëch on the Future of Car Design.

Aerodynamics, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Car Design, Designers, German Cars, Italdesign Giugiaro, Lightweight cars, NSU, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen 2 Comments »

Ferdinand Piëch on the Future of Car Design

Giancarlo Perini ©

The other day I was searching a story through my collection of Car Styling and I also noticed an interview with Ferninand Piëch, shortly after the introduction of the new Audi 100, the Car of the Year of the time. I found interesting to read again his words and check his visions with the development of Audi (and the entire Volkswagen group) some 27 years later.

Perhaps you too may like to read them and share your comments with other readers.

Status and Trends of Automotive Design Development.

Q: How would you describe the present status of automotive engineering in general?

A: Automotive engineering is currently in a state of tension between numerous influencing factors, some of them mutually contradictory. Increased awareness of environmental problems is taking effect in the form of statutory limits on exhaust emissions and noise, but is obliging us to design engines with unfavorable fuel-consumption characteristics and to increase body weight unnecessarily. However, rapidly rising fuel prices and the drop in our potential customers’ available incomes on almost all volume markets oblige us to devote top priority in our development work to reducing fuel consumption. All in all, therefore, automotive engineering is striving to achieve the optimum compromise between economical running and long-term durability, with increased safety and environmental acceptability thrown in at the same time. Considerable progress in the field of electronics and in the materials sector has resulted in technical features appearing on production vehicles which would have been considered impossible to achieve only a short time ago. Read the rest of this entry »

Giugiaro, Warkuß and de Silva analyse the “Golf” phenomenon.

Automotive Design, Car Design, German Cars, Italdesign Giugiaro, Italian Coachbuilders, Volkswagen 1 Comment »

From the Volkswagen press office I have just received the following report.

I like the idea of considering “car design” a popular subject but I would have expected more, much more, from an interview to three famous designers of such a high rating.

Fair enough, De Silva gives credit to the designer who actually drove the Golf VI design development under his direction and everybody knows Giugiaro (Giorgetto, not Giorgio as reported) designed the Golf himself. Did Warkuss designed the Golf IV himself or it was one of his designer who did the job? In this case who was it? Doesn’t he deserves due credit?
What is your opinion/reaction? I would really like to know.

Summit Meeting of the Designers:

Golf I bears the signature of Giorgio Giugiaro

Golf IV and V evolved under the aegis of Hartmut Warkuß

Golf VI and the future of the Golf are shaped by Silva

Wolfsburg, 21 October 2010 – These three men have had a decisive influence on automotive history: Giorgio Giugiaro, Hartmut Warkuß and Walter de Silva. Designers of world renown. Each of them has designed icons that will stand the test of time. One thing unites these men: the Golf. Because the Golf generations that were most important in terms of style—I, IV and VI—evolved under their aegis. Now the three top designers got together in a kind of summit meeting of design to analyse the “Golf” phenomenon.

Giorgio Giugiaro (72), who was head of Italdesign and designed the first Golf generation (debut in 1974), casts a glance back on the design of the Golf: “From my vantage point back then, it was not difficult to make the transition from the Beetle to a new vehicle type.” The fact that Giugiaro was always true to his own rules might have had something to do with that. Giugiaro: “When it comes to criteria for fine design, the proportions top the list. It is always somewhat of a mathematical game.” And his ideas were a winner: The proportions of the Golf I were right; 6.78 million units of the first generation were sold up till 1983.

Just how much the head of Italdesign, a company belonging to Volkswagen AG since 2010, influenced the “Golf” product brand is emphasized by Hartmut Warkuß (70). The ardent amateur pilot was chief designer of Volkswagen AG until his retirement in 2003; Hartmut Warkuß and his team created the Golf of the fourth and fifth generation. Warkuß: “We began with the Golf IV in 1993. I asked myself at the time how Giorgio Giugiaro would design it.” What a compliment.

Warkuß: “And so we created a timeless form again and intensified the character of the Golf through the distinctive C-pillars, among other things.” What was of overriding importance to Hartmut Warkuß: “Design has to be balanced. Its proportions have to be right. It has to suit the time in which such a design is to be valid.” For many experts, the Golf IV, which has been built 4.3 million times, is already today a classic of tomorrow.

Walter de Silva (59) is also one of these experts. He has been Head of Volkswagen Group Design since 2007. “Messrs. Giugiaro and Warkuß have given the fundamental design to the Golf as a Volkswagen.” With a view to the Golf VI, yet also to future generations, he outlines why he has preserved these genes and will continue to perpetuate them:

“Basically, Giorgio Giugiaro and Hartmut Warkuß have written the score, a beautiful piece of music. And with my team, with Klaus Bischoff—Head of Design for the Volkswagen brand—and naturally all the others, we try to give a proper interpretation of this music. The basic score of the ‛Golf music’ has been written. What we’re carrying forward here is a further development.”

The sixth generation of the Golf shows what potential this music still has. De Silva himself is living in the future; he is already on the road driving the next Golf in his thoughts. And that Golf will—some day—follow the score defined by Giugiaro and yet remain one-of-a-kind. This is part of the secret of success of the Volkswagen brand and the “Golf” phenomenon alike. Walter de Silva: “Volkswagen will remain unique in the future and therefore universal. Constant changes make for unreliability for customers.” The latest figures prove him right: During the first eight months of this year alone, Volkswagen was able to convince around 250,000 more customers to buy a car bearing the label of Volkswagen, in a year-on-year comparison with the previous period. People seem to have been entranced by the music on a lasting basis.

The auto motor und sport trade journal has just published a discussion between the designers Giorgio Giugiaro, Hartmut Warkuß and Walter de Silva about the Golf—recorded within the framework of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2010.

VW INVESTS INTO ITALDESIGN. PART 3 – Watch out for these two guys.

Alfa Romeo, Audi, Automotive Design, Bertone, Bugatti, Car Design, Car Styling, Concept cars, Designers, German Cars, Italdesign Giugiaro, Italian Cars, Italian Coachbuilders, Porsche, Show cars, Supercars, Volkswagen No Comments »

Can it just be a meaningless coincidence than 50% of the winners of the Car of the Century awards presented to top personalities of the Twentieth Century have been friends for almost 40 years and although both over 70, have a lot to share under the roof of Italdesign-Giugiaro?

Late in 1999, a jury of 132 professional automotive journalists from 33 different countries, under the presidency of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, awarded the title of Car of the Century’s to Ford’s T Model and the same awards to four top personalities in the car industry through the past century.

Their choice made up for a very impressive panel: Giorgetto Giugiaro was elected Car Designer of the Century, Ferdinand Porsche, Car Engineer of the Century, Henry Ford I Entrepreneur of the Century and Ferdinand Piëch Car Executive of the Century. Read the rest of this entry »

VOLKSWAGEN INVEST INTO ITALDESIGN-GIUGIARO. PART 2 – A COMMENTARY.

Audi, Automotive Design, Bentley, Car Design, Designers, Events and Seminars, Fiat, German Cars, Hyundai, Italdesign Giugiaro, Italian Cars, Italian Coachbuilders, Lamborghini, Lancia, Maserati, Proton, Volkswagen No Comments »

A commentary.

In the mid-sixties, the Milanese Inter foot-club was dominating the scene in Europe, under the leadership of coach Helenio Herrera and the ownership of Angelo Moratti. Herrera had a lot of talent and a simple, pragmatic strategy: buy all the best players, even if he could not use all of them. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2010 Geneva Motor Show

Alfa Romeo, Audi, Automotive Design, Bertone, Bugatti, Car Design, Chinese Cars, Citroen, Concept cars, Experimental Vehicles, Ferrari, Fuoriserie, German Cars, Hyundai, I.DE.A., Italdesign Giugiaro, Italian Coachbuilders, Korean Cars, Lotus, Motor Shows, Peugeot, Pininfarina, Porsche, Proton, Protoscar, Renault, Rinspeed, Show cars, Stile Bertone, Supercars, Touring, Toyota, Various 3 Comments »

Those of you who read Car Styling magazine might have been puzzled by my report on the Geneva motor show published in the latest (and last?) issue of the magazine.
For some mysterious accident that are more common in the printed press than you can image my text was cut and mixed up. For a more accurate reading and for the records I am publishing here the original text. Just as a sign of respect for my readers.

Official statistics show that the latest and 80th Geneva Motor Show set a new record for “premieres”, with as many as eighty “new cars”, or so, unveiled for the first time there. Now, considering the space in the magazine is not growing with the number of new cars at motor shows, let’s go straight to the point and answer the usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?

First I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,  Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.

Read the rest of this entry »

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{"cc_re__cc_re__cc_by_sa_2_5_it": ["dreani</a></strong>: bravo Ian complimenti per l'ottimo lavoro svolto in Roll Roy...</li>\n\t<li><strong><a href=\"http://autodesign.socialblog.us/2010/03/30/autor-2010-automotive-design-conference/#comment-2199\" title=\"on Auto(r) 2010 automotive design conference.\">Pearly Penile Papules Removal</a></strong>: I am looking for these conferences since they can help much ...</li>\n</ul>  </div>\n  <!--recent comments end -->\n  \n\t<!--about text start -->\n\t<div class=\"footer-about\">\n\t\t<h4>License</h4>\n<p><a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/it/\">\n<img alt=\"Creative Commons License\" style=\"border-width:0\" src=\"http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png\" />\n</a>\n<br />\n<span xmlns:dc=\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\" property=\"dc:title\">Social Blog</span> by \n<a xmlns:cc=\"http://creativecommons.org/ns#\" href=\"http://socialblog.us\" property=\"cc:attributionName\" rel=\"cc:attributionURL\">Creatina Media</a> is licensed under a \n<a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/it/\">Creative Commons Attributio", "ut\">\n\t\t<h4>License</h4>\n<p><a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/it/\">\n<img alt=\"Creative Commons License\" style=\"border-width:0\" src=\"http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png\" />\n</a>\n<br />\n<span xmlns:dc=\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\" property=\"dc:title\">Social Blog</span> by \n<a xmlns:cc=\"http://creativecommons.org/ns#\" href=\"http://socialblog.us\" property=\"cc:attributionName\" rel=\"cc:attributionURL\">Creatina Media</a> is licensed under a \n<a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/it/\">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Italy License</a>.\n<br />Based on a work at \n<a xmlns:dc=\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\" href=\"http://media.creatina.com\" rel=\"dc:source\">media.creatina.com</a>.\n<br />Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at \n<a xmlns:cc=\"http://creativecommons.org/ns#\" href=\"http://media.creatina.com\" rel=\"cc:morePermissions\">http://media.creatina.com</a>.</p>\t\n\t</div>\n\t<!--about text end -->\n\t\n  <hr class=\"clear\" />\n  </div><!--/footer --"], "copyright__copyright__copyright": ["", "", "", "", "usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?\n\nFirst I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,\u00a0 Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.\n\nRead the rest of this entry \u00bb\n\nWP Theme & Icons by N.Design Studio\nEntries RSS Comments RSS Log in", "usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?\n\nFirst I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,\u00a0 Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.\n\nRead the rest of this entry \u00bb\n\nWP Theme & Icons by N.Design Studio\nEntries RSS Comments RSS Log in", "usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?\n\nFirst I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,\u00a0 Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.\n\nRead the rest of this entry \u00bb\n\nWP Theme & Icons by N.Design Studio\nEntries RSS Comments RSS Log in", "usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?\n\nFirst I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,\u00a0 Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.\n\nRead the rest of this entry \u00bb\n\nWP Theme & Icons by N.Design Studio\nEntries RSS Comments RSS Log in", "usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?\n\nFirst I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,\u00a0 Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.\n\nRead the rest of this entry \u00bb\n\nWP Theme & Icons by N.Design Studio\nEntries RSS Comments RSS Log in", "usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?\n\nFirst I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,\u00a0 Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.\n\nRead the rest of this entry \u00bb\n\nWP Theme & Icons by N.Design Studio\nEntries RSS Comments RSS Log in"]}