to design a new affordable car that people don't say..."well it looks like this or that"?
can you name any?

nope.

I think the first thing people do is try to associate the new cars with one that already exists, then compare them. It's all subjective too, because people are like, oh it looks like this, then the next person says, "no it doesn't, it looks like that"

Lotus Elise.... unless they say, "oh, that looks a mutant insect from Mars.". I personally love the look of the Elise and it don't look like any other car out there!

What about www.smart.com ?

Lotus Elise---Affordable? Hm. Maybe on the sticker, but if you include insurance, upkeep, etc. I bet it's not. Otherwise, you'd see Elises like you see Accords on the road.

Damn, I've got to get past this 666 post...

The new eclipse looks like no other car out there, although it does resemble a big pile of S---!

Perhaps I should ad that the car should not be for a niche market.

I think that no matter how you design a car, people are going to inevitably associate it with something (be it a car, insect, object, etc.) to use a descriptor when talking about it. Take a lot of those solar powered cars for example, they don't really resemble anything else on the road, but most people will tell you they look like cockroaches.

The new eclipse looks like no other car out there, although it does resemble a big pile of S---!
everyone said the ass end looked like a Z

The new eclipse looks like no other car out there, although it does resemble a big pile of S---!
HA! True that! :D

I think that no matter how you design a car, people are going to inevitably associate it with something (be it a car, insect, object, etc.) to use a descriptor when talking about it. Take a lot of those solar powered cars for example, they don't really resemble anything else on the road, but most people will tell you they look like cockroaches.
I think that's true, I describe cars the same way. I just find that every new mainstream car coming out lately is getting bashed by everyone because they think it looks like something else and say the designers just copied.

everyone said the ass end looked like a Z

ahhh right, I remember now....ummm how about the Neon? Not alot look silly like those...

Oh, you mean like the Scion, which looks like a box on wheels. My daughter said it best: "I think I drew that car when I was 4."

that scion box thing?

*damnit phee, you made it look like I was copying you! We posted at the exact same time!*

Oh, you mean like the Scion, which looks like a box on wheels. My daughter said it best: "I think I drew that car when I was 4."
HAHA^^ :D

Yeah...that Scion xB is nasty to say the least...lol, but for HS students I guess it aint too bad.

When the 1st Viper came out I thought It looked like NOTHING else out there. I still think it's looks are pretty unique...the 1st model that is. The new Viper looks very good too but not as unique

unique cheap car? volkswagen new beetle (sure it resembles the old beetle, but there are no other cars that look like it in the least)

Hey BlueEyes the smart is a very common car in Europe, it's not a niche market.
http://www.gulbransen.net/photos/bruxells-amsterdam/images/34.smart-car.jpg
Here are some samples of other cars that are somewhat unique regarding their designs (whether they can be considered pretty or not depends on ones preferences).
http://www.renault.com/img/gamme/images/coupe2_ext8.jpg
http://www.renault.com/img/gamme/images/coupe2_ext4.jpg
http://www.autoweek.nl/images/480/3989.jpg
http://www.wheels24.co.za/Images/Photos/20040916072117New147-400.jpg

unique cheap car? volkswagen new beetle (sure it resembles the old beetle, but there are no other cars that look like it in the least)

Some say it looks like a 911

I donno, i always thought an FD was pretty sweet for its price.

The next rotary car should be a real supercar, and it should be limited to previous rotary owners who can pass a literacy test that deals with the nature of a rotary!

The FD was sweet, but most certainly not affordable or mainstream.

Some say it looks like a 911

thats an insult to porsche...well maybe not, the 911 shape has been imitated on purpose, its almost a form of lattery.

I think it's going to be hard to find a non-niche car that can't be equated very closely to another car. Most people see cars as appliances and these "appliancemobiles" don't really want to make a splash with their audience. They want to be simple and functional without offending anyone's tastes, so they'll take cues from all kinds of other cars until they eventually start looking a bit like one of them.

You can't seriously tell me the Aztek looks like anything that existed before it, other than it sorta resembles some sort of vehicle that humans should be able to drive. Other than that, it looks like ass.

http://www.edmunds.com/media/news/column/letterstotheediors/02.jul/02.pontiac.aztek.f34.500.jpg

The tiberuon is somewhat unique. I like it's shape.

The aztek is definitely unique, but unique in an ugly way. The tiberuon looks like a 550/575, its not unique at all.

You can't seriously tell me the Aztek looks like anything that existed before it, other than it sorta resembles some sort of vehicle that humans should be able to drive. Other than that, it looks like ass.

A friend of mine said the Aztek should come standard with a pair of moon boots!

Hi phee.

I alwayz wanted one of these......definately a semi- unique car!!!! ;)

http://kuruma.cside.com/off/images/040703/car/mr2-b.jpg

Honda Element when it was first introduced. Before the xB.

I saw a Smart Car on the road the other day. I guess it's hard to make a car that small anything other than fugly. I'd hate to get into an accident in one.

hi abbid.

Honda Element when it was first introduced. Before the xB.
I think they have lots and lots of square cars else where in the world. The element was surely not the first.

Actually the Smart is surprisingly save. It has a very stiff frame, that uses the crumple zone of the other car to decelerate it in case you get in an accident. (It's also and unfortunately pretty heavy considering its size.)
I saw a VW Passat that was hit by a smart head on. The Passat was totalled and the Smart was still fixable.

The wind tunnel and geometry are strict mistresses. For that reason most modern cars resemble other vehicles aimed at the same market. For cars aimed at either performance or fuel economy, aerodynamics largely determine shape. For vehicles aimed at those who need carrying capacity, a box is a difficult shape to improve upon.

(One qualification: A sphere is actually more voluminous than a box of a similar size. The only problem is that such a shape is primarily useful for carrying loads of balloons or basketballs. The Nissan Murano comes to mind.)

And as others have noted, "unique" styling does not necessarily imply "good" styling. It would be interesting to know what happened to the hapless souls responsible for the "unique" look (and spelling) of the Aztek.

You can't seriously tell me the Aztek looks like anything that existed before it, other than it sorta resembles some sort of vehicle that humans should be able to drive. Other than that, it looks like ass.
How ironic--I was just talking about that damn Aztek yesterday: http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?p=766733#post766733