CDN-Interior Motives China Conference 2014 – Day 2

Chris Bangle gave those contemplating a lie-in after the first day of the CDN-Interior Motives conference the incentive to grab a front-row seat for his opening keynote. Thought-provoking, clear and inspirational as ever, we will cover Bangle's 'State of the Union: Time for Deep Car Design?' presentation in a separate feature. There's simply too much to cover in detail to include here.

For anyone who has experienced both the feverishly accelerating disposable consumerism and the horrendous pollution throughout China (and especially in the conference's host city of Beijing) the question of what is and can the industry do to become more sustainable is a pertinent one.

Sergio Loureiro, Chery's chief designer specifically chose not to talk about the possible physical solutions – hemp chairs or congestion-avoiding GPS – and concentrate instead on the root cause. "People here want everything too fast," he stated.

"The car industry is too slow for China. Shanghai is changing so fast. It takes four years to make a car. In Shanghai you have five new skyscrapers in that time."

He related this to his own work, where he is instructed to very quickly design on-trend crossovers and SUVs in order to satisfy demand. "Learn more, invest more time, invest more money," he pleaded. "Don't run with cheap goods that follow quick, transient trends, buy something that becomes an heirloom – that's a sustainable purchase."

Loureiro also suggested personalization could generate a level of sustainable purchasing by creating a bond between buyer and car so strong that they want to retain it. "Current imposed personalization is limited to the selection of colors and graphics," he said. "This is fashion, something that will age quickly and you'll want to change it quickly." A much deeper level of personalization is needed he concluded.

Faurecia designer Gordon Siu concentrated his presentation on luxury, rather than the session brief, but did make the valid point that a growing demand for high-quality, authentically Chinese goods at the high end of the market will increase emotional bonds with products.

Meanwhile Xavier Melkonian of Dassault Systemes used his time to explain how his company's software could be used to create organic-looking forms, potentially 3D printed.

By Owen Ready