Bad Design: VW takes 3 steps back

I don't ever want to be a car designer.  At least, not a car stylist.  I've never been a really big critic of car design, though it can get me excited from time to time. Like when I was 13 or so, I remember seeing the Ford GT90 from '95 for the first time.  It blew me away back then.  It shows it's age a little now, and sort of reminds me of one of my brother's Record Breakers toy cars.

They didn't have a remote control and I don't remember a functional track, though the commercials get around that, I guess we were supposed to set them down and assume the toys would duke it out like a dachshund race.

Anyway, I've always noticed the basic cars too.  In fact, some of my favorite cars are simple, like the BMW 2002.  So, I don't necessarily want everything to be an aero-wedge with a mid engine V-12.

I don't mind understated cars, but Volkswagen have really outdone themselves this year, ruining nearly all of their models by copying 5 year old Korean design, which was a copy of 5 year old German design.  It's the 30th anniversary of this car, so I guess they went back to their 'roots', which is the most unassuming car ever.

2006 Hyundai Sonata

2011 Jetta, or 2007 Corolla?

Popular 5 year old economy car, 2007 Corolla

I've always liked VWs, but after the CC came out, I realized they must have fired their designed team.  Or hired some South Koreans.  For example:

A KIA Optima

The new VW CC

I reference Korean design with disdain here, trying to show how 'crappy' Volkswagen has become.  In the past, KIA and Hyundai have been cranking out some of the most generic, uninspired looking cars on the road.  The insides were better than every Chrystler from the 80's until now, but they have always been invisible, or in the case of the early Hyundai Tiburon, ghastly.

Named after a shark, designed after a Pontiac Sunfire

That's changing though, as this year's KIA lineup out-styles Volkswagens hands down, and I REALLY never thought I'd see that.

Here is the NEW Optima, and man dang, that's what a car should look like in 2011.

Korean Design Wins

I should probably look up who's been doing the designing.  I'll see what I can dig up.  Until then, you'll just have to take my word for it, VW fired it's design team, and KIA hired some fresh talent.

You heard it here first.

GeorgeP