At this point you're thinking I've clicked on to a blog about cars and the motoring industry and I'm being educated or rather reminded about a tech company. How in all that's holy does any of this relate to cars?
Well don't worry because we'll get to that but first I think we need to look at the core principle of Apple. See what I did there? Core, Apple, ah never mind it wasn't a great play on words. In any case apple strive to be innovative and modern in their design whilst still retaining basic functionality, ease of use and sturdiness. Sturdiness is a quality I find lacking in more and more gizmos these days. Not Apple however and you can't deny that the I-Pod is beautiful in it's simple yet futuristic design, even if it is in a nerdy geek boy way. You also have to marvel at just the amount of tech these little (bar the Pad) devices actually have. The latest app I was introduced to was known as the Wall of Guns. You pick a gun off the wall, tilt you're phone sideways and when you rock it back and forth you get a realistic sound effect.
I've probably gone into too much detail there but remember the innovation, modern, sturdy and technical side because now we move on to cars. Move on to Volkswagon to be precise. I was looking over the Autocar news today as I normally do and saw a piece that caught my eye. The title reads "VW aspires to be 'automotive Apple'"
As soon as I saw it I understood why. Volkswagon, despite being sound competent and well made cars aren't exactly, what's the word? Exciting, fun, engaging. Yeah those three work quite well. Oh sure some are nice to look at and some go fast but in reality they don't bowl you over with their beauty, they don't stun with the handling dynamics and unless you count Bugatti (which for the purpose of this blog I'm not counting Bugatti) they don't shock with their straight line speed either. They are competent cars for people who want nothing more!
But that's not enough for VW anymore. They want their cars to be seen in the same eyes as the I-Pod and the car they've put this new philosophy to first is the Passat CC. This car has always been everything I've mentioned above and has got a reasonable customer base for it but with sales dwindling VW need more. So Martin Kropp chief of design on the new Passat project has said the car has to look more stylish so that it becomes like the I-Pod in the sense that "You know there is function and engineering behind the products, but you also enjoy looking at them. You want simple designs and this is what we're trying to achieve". To do this the basic shape is much the same but the intricate details are being changed. Details such as the head and tail lights for instance which Kropp says have more intricate styling.
Whether or not this will actually work is yet unknown as that is down to the consumer ultimately. What I will say is that the design is still recognisable as VW but there are more futuristic LEDs involved and the car has a few more creases on it in general. In truth it is a bit like the I-Pod, simple, functional but not boring. A triumph?
No, not in my eyes anyway. I have never particularly enjoyed looking at my personal I-Pod. The reason is that although it has some nice styling features like some chrome effect and a circular control pad I still think it looks boring. I don't see it as a fashion accessory, I see it as a tool to provide my own amusement. The VW is tied with the same brush. Boring to look at but an effective tool nonetheless for getting me from A-B.
Then again that's just me, here's a picture for you to make up your own mind but for me that is all as I have to head into University now, thank you for reading and please come back for more blogs soon.
Oh and before I forget I do have a subscription feature with my blogs growing sparse due to work commitments and Youtube. Just enter your e-mail into the white bar along the top and instructions should tell you what else you need to do. I've tested it and it's easy to do. The benefit is that you get an e-mail from my blog to you so all you have to is read your e-mails, you don't have to come here. Not sure if pictures work though!
Thanks to Autocar for the image.
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