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Driving on the Highway. The phone
rings. It's Italy's area code, +39.
Mateo is phoning to tell me they've
decided to move the Alfa Romeo's
studio to Israel, that they need
engineers and designers and that
he only wants to ask me if I know
people who would like to apply for
the job. The alarm clock goes off
and the dream is gone.
True, an exotic automotive company
has yet to open a design studio in
Israel, but there is a revolution
in the vehicle realm and it offers
other options. The electric and
autonomic era is on our doorstep,
and if up till now Israel was
watching the automotive industry
from the sidelines, nowadays we
have a real chance to get into the
mix. Companies like Mobileye,
Waze and Better Place have made
the impression that they have
something to look for in Israel, not
only for its technology but also for
its fearlessness and development
philosophy, which are so foreign to
the traditional automotive industry.
Nowadays one can see a lot of startup
companies developing relevant
products, from complementary
products up to actual cars. So now
it's time to ask if there is a unique
way to design a product for the
automotive realm.
Since the beginning of the 20th
century, cars have become devices
which external form derives from
the way they function and the way
they are used. This obviously does
not mean there weren't nifty looking
cars (Bugatti Type 35, for example,
but also many others), but it does
mean that design was not part of a
separate developing discipline. Still,
those cars are the cornerstones of
vehicle design to this day.
Car design has become a separate
discipline when people started
making vehicles with Monocoque
chassis or a partial chassis. Actually,
the car casing depended less on
its content. The shapes could be
richer and unique for every model
or manufacturer.
The first car designing studio
was established by Harley Earl
in General Motors in 1936, and it
laid the foundation for the field.
Since then, the car has been
distinct in comparison to other
products, and was an expensive
and significant commodity. It has
Designing for an Automotive Environment
Eyal Cremer, Yama RD
40 l New-Tech Magazine Europe