Ford - Premier Automotive Group
I thought I'd do a couple of posts on the state of car design these days.
First up: Ford's extensive PAG portfolio.
For those of you who don't know, Ford owns a fair number of car makes both stateside and in Europe. The PAG encompasses it's European possessions: Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.
To my mind PAG, on the whole, has proved fairly successful in recent years - Aston and Land Rover are now knee-deep in currency.
The major exception is of course, Jaguar, which has not produced a decent design (apart from the old XK) for some time. I'll reserve judgment on the new XK until I've seen it in the flesh, but up to now I'm not hugely impressed with the exterior. Jaguars were clean, sweeping designs that made you yearn for one. The current crop are fussy and incoherent and in the case of the S-Type: fat-arsed.
Aston Martin and Land Rover have been very successful financially, and aesthetically - but I begin to fear for the future. Aston appears to have only one design (as the DB9, Vantage V8 and proposed 4-door are essentially all the same.) The same complaint can be leveled at Land Rover, especially now that the Freelander replacement seems to be a carbon copy of the Disco3. I understand the concept of the family face but come on guys.
Now Jaguar is in on the act - but obviously is can't copy it's own designs (honestly, who would) so it has had to borrow from Aston for the new XK.
Interesting to hear that the Halewood plant will be building the next Freelander - seemingly sounding the death-knell for the X-Type. So much promise, yet dropped without a fight. Jaguar, I feel, is in serious trouble.
I haven't mentioned Volvo yet, have I? Got to be honest, I wasn't too sure about the last raft of designs with the über-chiseled flanks. But that actually began to grow on me and the newer models (2006 S80 and C70) look great and the Bang & Olufsen style interiors are very very cool. Yes, I think Volvo's going to be ok.
First up: Ford's extensive PAG portfolio.
For those of you who don't know, Ford owns a fair number of car makes both stateside and in Europe. The PAG encompasses it's European possessions: Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.
To my mind PAG, on the whole, has proved fairly successful in recent years - Aston and Land Rover are now knee-deep in currency.
The major exception is of course, Jaguar, which has not produced a decent design (apart from the old XK) for some time. I'll reserve judgment on the new XK until I've seen it in the flesh, but up to now I'm not hugely impressed with the exterior. Jaguars were clean, sweeping designs that made you yearn for one. The current crop are fussy and incoherent and in the case of the S-Type: fat-arsed.
Aston Martin and Land Rover have been very successful financially, and aesthetically - but I begin to fear for the future. Aston appears to have only one design (as the DB9, Vantage V8 and proposed 4-door are essentially all the same.) The same complaint can be leveled at Land Rover, especially now that the Freelander replacement seems to be a carbon copy of the Disco3. I understand the concept of the family face but come on guys.
Now Jaguar is in on the act - but obviously is can't copy it's own designs (honestly, who would) so it has had to borrow from Aston for the new XK.
Interesting to hear that the Halewood plant will be building the next Freelander - seemingly sounding the death-knell for the X-Type. So much promise, yet dropped without a fight. Jaguar, I feel, is in serious trouble.
I haven't mentioned Volvo yet, have I? Got to be honest, I wasn't too sure about the last raft of designs with the über-chiseled flanks. But that actually began to grow on me and the newer models (2006 S80 and C70) look great and the Bang & Olufsen style interiors are very very cool. Yes, I think Volvo's going to be ok.
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