I could be wrong but I think beyond that it's also highly regional/cultural.
Teslas look awful to me; they remind me of so many other examples of recent bland US car design: particularly Ford, and with a few hints of the sort of 90s-mazda-esque Corvettes of the past 10-15 years. All very popular aesthetically but to me seem a bit lacking in anything unusual or novel. I would say the same of a fair amount of Japanese car design.
European car design (particularly French, Italian) is often ugly, usually novel, sometimes beautiful. Germans are a bit more conservative (especially VW), but they definitely have their moments.
I am European so I may simply be missing the nuance of non-European design.
I don’t know whether the Model 3 or the ID3 has it, but this “design is subjective” meme is wrong and I think a little bit disrespectful to design as a profession, where people spend decades learning how to build things that are—objectively—appealing and functional.
Of course individual reactions and needs vary. But that doesn’t mean the design space is a totally relativistic fog.
"Subjective" doesn't necessarily mean "highly varied" on a per-individual level. Mass appeal is about a group of people sharing perspective as a result of a common societal context.
Talk about being disrespectful to design as a profession: the psychology and context that informs such subjective views is a big part of design. Saying it's objective reduces something of deep complexity to a set of simplistic rules that can be blindly followed by anyone.
I think there are many fine examples of great car designs. Recently, I can think of Mini, Fiat 500, Alfa 147, Alfa MiTo, Golf Mk I & II, Lamborghini Gallardo, BMW 3 series E21-E46...
Fiat and Citroen are, on the more reasonably priced end of the spectrum, doing innovative/interesting things that are at the very least not bland.
GRILLs, Grills everywhere!
Yaawwwwhhhrrrrr! Grrrrrrrrr!
Grills == BBQ == Manly!
Sorry, I'm just poking fun. There are so many auto style people that go ga-ga over something that is fundamentally inefficient aerodynamically.
I'd like to note that Fiat and Citroen, based on my rather sparse knowledge, are basically not even bothering with EVs at the moment.
I always thought BMWs grills looked more snout-like than BBQ-ish...
They have the same ability to combine total inoffensive blandness, with some detail or corner that just looks plain wrong, ugly, the wrong size or damaged with vehicle lines that neither align nor complement each other. The Tesla Model 3 ends up looking like a poor attempt at a parts bin special, as though nothing at all was originally intended for the Model 3. Of course some actual parts bin specials were very successful - like the first model Land Rover Discovery.
I suspect this is mostly myth propped up by apocryphal assertions that Prius sold well due to its distinct look. But I am just a long-time curious observer, not an expert.
What I read was that the sales of Toyota's hybrid versions of their "normal-looking cars" (Camry Hybrid, etc) were disappointing in comparison to the Prius (especially if the theory is that people were avoiding the Prius due to design and would prefer a less-radical car that still got great gas mileage). I don't know if there's any truth to that.
That's totally why I bought my sweet sexy Spark EV.
From wikipedia:
ID.3:
Length 4,262 mm (167.8 in)
Width 1,809 mm (71.2 in)
Height 1,552 mm (61.1 in)
Length 4,255 mm (167.5 in)
Width 1,799 mm (70.8 in)
Height 1,452 mm (57.2 in)
It's like driving a go-cart in the city and it charges 75% capacity in about 15 minutes on fast chargers (enough for about 100 km more).
Personally I find it looks quite cool after I did a custom paint job. You can even get it in Honey Yellow [1] from the shop, but personally I think it's a bit gaudy.. My daughters really wanted that colour but I had to nix it!
[1] https://www.greencarguide.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/V...
But beauty is as always in the eye of the beerholder. I don't really fancy how the back of the e-up looks either, but I didn't mind the ID3 all that much.
I am not a fanboy, but Tesla simply has the best EVs on the market.
The ID.3 looks like a nice hatchback to me. Here's Volkswagen's ad for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPjvgXWA78E
The augmented reality heads up display looks interesting.
It’s not just electrics. Honda used to make sleek cars but now they have weird shapes and curves for no reason. Comes off as desperate.
That said, have you seen the new Honda city car? It's beautiful.
The so far is key. BMW said the same when they launches the i3, that EV owners want to make a "statement."
But I think that's actually holding EVs back. I don't want to make a statement with my car (or phone for that matter). Always making EVs look exotic says that this product is only for enthusiast. I want the android of EVs not the iPhone.
Someone once explained to me that it was because EVs try and minimize the weight of the chassis to extend the range of the vehicle, and it's difficult to get more traditional curvatures in the chassis while doing that and balancing with safety/cost.
No idea how accurate that is.
Beauty is relative. I find the look of Tesla “dorky”, especially the piggy nose of the Model 3. However, I’d not defend a design of id.3.
Because when the first Prius launched, it looked like a normal car.
Nobody wanted to buy one.
The second-generation Prius had an incredibly conspicuous shape, and it sold like hotcakes.
Because when the first Prius launched, it looked like a normal car.
See the various generations here: https://global.toyota/en/prius20th/evolution/
Seriously, it was a very odd-looking car: http://www.imcdb.org/i044705.jpg
To the extent that it looked like "a normal car", it looked like an absolute bargain-basment Toyota along the lines of a Tercel or something. Different is one thing; different and ugly is quite another.
Nobody wanted to buy one.
According to Toyota, the company was only "breaking even" on each one sold. They weren't really pushing them either.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius#First_generation_...
The second-generation Prius had an incredibly conspicuous
shape, and it sold like hotcakes.
It's not as if the second-gen was a simple rebadge of the first-gen with weirder looks.
First-gen was a funky sedan of limited utility and performance. Additionally the concept of a hybrid vehicle was bizarre and foreign at the time.
The second-gen was a massive improvement in every way. Significant and objective improvements in power, range, comfort, capacity, and so on. Furthermore the hatchback/fastback body style is of much greater convenience and utility.
As far as looks... while it was certainly unconventionial and perhaps not beautiful, the second-gen model looked more "futuristic family car" and less "weird ultra-budget sedan" like the first one.
Their vehicles are so bland-looking that a buddy of mine stated a few years ago that he'd never seen a Tesla. Even a few years ago, if you worked at Microsoft like he does, I guarantee you parked next to one some time this week, and saw at least one on your way to or from work today. To quote another MSFT friend: "buying a Tesla is like a rite of passage around here."
I'll bet he remembers the singular time he saw that Ferrari 458 that parks in building 32, though.
Personally, Ford Taurus, Tesla 3/S, same difference: nothing wrong with it, nothing memorable.
Most VWs are pretty bland. They're maybe slightly at the more recognisable end of the spectrum, but only incrementally, because that's the look that works at mass market scale. So given that, why does their mainstream, bet the company EV have to look like something from a 90s SF action movie?
The point about Teslas looking like other cars is that being an EV should be a normal, everyday thing. That's exactly the future that Tesla is aiming for. Whether a car is bland looking, weird looking or whatever should be entirely decoupled from whether it's an EV or not. They are orthogonal concerns. The weird look of this car is a worrying sign that VW does not get this, and is therefore missing the plot in a near future where EVs will be just cars.
(tinfoil hat) Seems like they want this to fail to keep ICE and all the supporting industries alive for more $$. After all service/parts is where the real money is...
Everyone in Europe is happy about getting more space in a smaller car. And this compact car shape is common here as well.
The car is completely normal and good looking. Limousines and SUV are not the only valid shapes for cars.
That doesn't make sense. They are not spending tens of billions of euros on a project they want to fail.
In any case, the world's two biggest car markets (Europe and China) are introducing stricter fleet emissions standards. If car companies want to stay in the car business they have to electrify to meet the new standards.
It's a matter of urgency for Volkswagen so they can avoid as many EU emissions fines as possible. Paying fines is just dead money. You're much better off investing that money in new car models, which is what Volkswagen is doing.
Toyota's in a better position to meet the standards because they sell a lot of hybrid vehicles.
And
> Model 3 - Bug Edition.
Choose one...
The Pruis is highly optimized for minimal aerodynamic drag. It's no coincidence the wound up with roughly the same shape. The Model 3 is a similar shape but more sleek because they have more length to work with.
Because they're targeting early adopters who want to buy a car that looks like a science project. Once they move onto targeting early mainstream, it will start looking more like other cars. Just look at how the Prius changed its look over time.
This, the "ID-3" looks like a prius. I'm sure it's a fine car, and I really do love EVs, but man oh man I wish the designers would take a page from Tesla's book.
edit: to be clear, my current car (that my wife and I share) is a chrysler pacifica minivan, which I believe to be one of the best cars I've ever owned. I have no problem with "dorky" vehicles, I am a dork. It's just that if you want to break out of enthusiasts buying your cars for the novelty, you have to make them appealing.