Were do they go from here? Retro car designs.

[exitspeed]

I've been thinking about this for awhile now. But were do these designs go from here? I'm talking about cars like the New Beetle, PT cruiser, New Mustang, Mini etc. Notice none of these cars have been redesigned yet. Do they go a different route all together, away from the reto look? Do they start cycleing through the models after what they were closely designed from? What do you guys think? Personally I think they put them selves in an akward position.

[exitspeed]

wow everyone's so opionated around here I thought for sure this would spark a conversation.

[citizen]

they grow some balls and get creative?

[mjjstang]

I dont quite understand the part about the mustang, Its just barely out and you want it redesigned already, I donno someones gettin paid a lot to design this stuff ( hopefully me in a few years) Im sure they have stuff up their sleeves, If i was to guess they probably wouldnt go back to the older style. maybe slowly go back to a more modern look, but by the time they need to redesign it, there will be a new trend out that they will try to convert it to. my guess at least.

[SimpleS14]

The New Beetle is going to die a slow death....since VW does not plan to redesign it. The image is too strong and the demand for them are fading fast. So expect it to be gone within four years and comeback the next 20. The PT Crusier is getting a refreshment...touch ups on the rear and a facelift...also some new bits on the inside. The new Mustang...well...it not even out yet...but I sense multiple variations(sp?) that connect to past model...which will spark up sales for Ford...also there will be a refresh 2 or 3 years later. As for a redesign....expect it to be sleeker...but don't expect it for another 5 or 6 years. The Mini is still fairly new....and I'd expect them to maintain the same shape for the times ahead. Mini will be just like Porsche with their 911.....thru times it evolves into a better car...but no matter what...its maintains a distinct shape that lets you know its a Porsche 911.

[exitspeed]

No I wasn't talking about it needing to be redesigned allready but were do they go from there. Out of all those cars the new Mustang is my favorite design becasue they can actually do something with it.

[SimpleS14]

Out of all those cars the new Mustang is my favorite design becasue they can actually do something with it.


Yup....I wonder what they will do with the SVT Cobra or some ungodly torquey variant. :eek3d:

[mk20116]

MINI is having a strong comeback at this point. the demand is strong enough that dealer markup is within the 2000-5000 range.(this is a charge above msrp) so far imho the new mini doesn't really exhibit much of a resemblance to the old MINI. the marketing is actually the key factor in the MINI'S surge in popularity. and of course it's 20000 car that is built by bmw.(quality of a bmw but the price of a honda)

mini actually has a very high resale value and a very close following among it's owners. the mini actually rated the worst in service history among most cars. but of course this is due to the owners who would bring the mini in for any type of squeak or rattle coming from the car.

btw. at least they didn't design most of the retro styles horribly like the new bmw.;)

[exitspeed]

MINI is having a strong comeback at this point. the demand is strong enough that dealer markup is within the 2000-5000 range.(this is a charge above msrp) so far imho the new mini doesn't really exhibit much of a resemblance to the old MINI. the marketing is actually the key factor in the MINI'S surge in popularity. and of course it's 20000 car that is built by bmw.(quality of a bmw but the price of a honda)

mini actually has a very high resale value and a very close following among it's owners. the mini actually rated the worst in service history among most cars. but of course this is due to the owners who would bring the mini in for any type of squeak or rattle coming from the car.

btw. at least they didn't design most of the retro styles horribly like the new bmw.;)

I take it you like mini's.? I know the mini is still popular, but my question is were do they go with the styling?????????

[MakotoS13]

I take it you like mini's.? I know the mini is still popular, but my question is were do they go with the styling?????????


you think they thought the C6 corvette would look like it does back in the 50s? hell no, its called evolution. what is manufactured is deteremined by our planet and our past. so long as we have those two things there will continue to be cars that grab our eye.

do you smoke rock?

[Bill Roberts]

Butt fucking ugly.

Fugley!

http://www.chrysler300site.com/images/05sedanside.jpg

[SirWarrior]

The PT Crusier is getting a refreshment...touch ups on the rear and a facelift...also some new bits on the inside. 1.
The PT will get the SRT motor and 2 door version. As much as I dont like chrysler the new PT and the new Hemi-powered Magnum are something that I will wait till I drive to make my judgement on.

[exitspeed]

do you smoke rock?


Yes...yes I do. Thanks for asking. I guess I should elaborate a little on some of my comments. My main pont was that I think they put themselves in a bad position. I PERSOANLLY COULD restyle any of these cars, but I wouldn't have originally went the route they went anyway(throw back cars). What I guess I mean is that it was an interesting trend that is hopefully going to die a quick death. And now the manufacturers should start over with fresh NEW designs. I know the nastalgia thing is still pretty popular. But I don't think it's imaginative enough.

[MakotoS13]

everything is designed after something else. want fresh? check out nissan and mazda's new cars. how bout ford's new trucks? the new corvette gets better mileage, makes more power, looks better, and (factoring in inflation) costs less than previous models.

i know what you're saying but using a car's history to design another gen makes it a new car and the same with the next gen. it's a progressive thing that has delivered us some killer cars.

you want exotic? drop 300K on a lambo, i'll stick with something reasonable that still rocks the casba.

[mk20116]

I take it you like mini's.? I know the mini is still popular, but my question is were do they go with the styling?????????

i own one so i should like them. as for your question for styling, there is a certain lifespan for each cars' brand and/or style. the mini cooper imo not much evolution of it's overall styling. some of the new quirks (like hid headlights, led taillights, better onboard computers, and etc..) will change mainly.

you can take a look into marketing as well.
for example, the pt cruiser. what market do you think chrysler is trying to appeal to with that retro design. also with the mini cooper, demographics would probably be in favor of the middle to older generations.

i could be wrong with these but it's my observation with my own mini. demographically mini owners run either in the 40+ range or the 18-24 range(mainly single or married without children).

these retro styled cars are more for enthusiasts more often than not.

[Ghettokracker71]

The PT will get the SRT motor

Isn't that what the PT GT already is? :whip:

[matic 240sx]

everything is designed after something else. want fresh? check out nissan and mazda's new cars. how bout ford's new trucks? the new corvette gets better mileage, makes more power, looks better, and (factoring in inflation) costs less than previous models.

i know what you're saying but using a car's history to design another gen makes it a new car and the same with the next gen. it's a progressive thing that has delivered us some killer cars.

you want exotic? drop 300K on a lambo, i'll stick with something reasonable that still rocks the casba.

i dont think u know what he is saying..

what your getting at exitspeed.. is that the cars only change a little from their current design normally.. and they keep them close to the current design since if they make them look completely different you dont know what it is.. so what your saying is are they going to try to make the retro look furturistic in the end or are they gonna make it look like another old car? the thing is they can do a big change and not worry about people not know what it is.. there is small things you keep from the current design to keep people know what the car is... one car i think is good to point out is the eclipse.. you knew that the 90-91 to 92-94 were the same car.. then they make a way better up to date car in 95.. but you knew it was an eclipse still.. and on the other hand.. they could go the 240sx route.. s13-s14.. if you saw the 2 cars next to each other with no names on them.. u wouldnt guess there is a year difference and they are same model.. so they can do what they like.. when it comes down to time to change the car.. they come up with about 10 designs..

[SimpleS14]

This might be off-topic..but BMW messed up their design big time with such a HUGE jump from their conservative classic designs.

The PT cruiser already has the Neon SRT motor...and I believe the two door model will be a convertible. The 300C and Maganum are fooking nice...they are my favorite domestic cars.........excluding the XLR and CTS-V Plus (coming soon!!!)

[AKADriver]

The PT Cruiser can be updated continuously, since it's not based on one specific classic car. It's a mix of various '30s, '40s, and early '50s cars with an overall 2000s styling theme... They can give it harder or softer edges to meet with the times, new technologies and different classic styling cues and still be a PT Cruiser.

The New Beetle could be updated, too, since the classic Beetle changed a LOT between 1939 and when they stopped updating them. VW is letting it die, though.

[citizen]

all i have to say about the beetle is, good riddance. fucking hippy haulers...

[MakotoS13]

i HATE the bugs. annoying as hell. i'mnto too fond of VW but that sucker needs to go...

[Marty]

there has been a "dune-bug" in developement by vw