Volkswagen Design Boss Says Cars Should Look Friendlier, Not Aggressive

Volkswagen Group design chief Andreas Mindt thinks the industry's obsession with aggressive-looking cars has gone too far.

He wants Volkswagen to create cars that look approachable, not intimidating.

The new ID. Polo and ID.3 Neo show how the brand is moving toward a friendlier design language.

Cars have gotten angrier over the years. From oversized grilles and narrow headlights to increasingly aggressive front ends, automakers seem determined to make their latest models look like they're ready to pick a fight. Volkswagen Group design chief Andreas Mindt isn't a fan.

In an interview with Autoweek, Mindt dismissed the trend of overly aggressive-looking cars as \u201cnonsense,\u201d arguing that there's no good reason for cars to look as if they're designed to intimidate everyone else on the road. According to Mindt, some automakers deliberately give their cars threatening faces because drivers will move out of the way when they see an aggressive-looking vehicle approaching in the rearview mirror.

'Car brands do this because they want to be cool. Volkswagen doesn\u2019t want that. You can think you\u2019re the strongest, but if you\u2019re not, then that\u2019s nonsense. Why not give cars a friendly look? I want to live in a friendly world. I don't want to live in a world with cars that look like they were designed to kill zombies. I really don't want to live in a stupid world like that.'

His argument goes beyond simply making cars look nicer. He believes design can influence how people perceive one another, especially as the transition to electric vehicles is in full swing in Europe. Volkswagen's earlier ID models were deliberately futuristic to signal a break with the past. Mindt now believes that approach went too far. As BMW has been saying all along, VW believes an electric car shouldn't necessarily look radically different to advertise the fact that it's electric.

How far did VW go? Well, the man in charge of design told Autoweek that the pre-facelift ID.3 \u201cdoesn\u2019t look like a real VW. You don\u2019t see VW\u2019s DNA in it. It might just as well be from another brand.\u201d The recently launched ID.3 Neo aims to address that with a design that doesn't scream \u201cEV.\u201d Like the smaller ID. Polo, the compact electric hatchback has more physical controls and ditches the touch slider as a response to customer feedback.

Mindt also acknowledges that VW Group isn't going to eliminate aggressive styling altogether. Different brands are supposed to have different personalities, and he specifically points to Lamborghini and SEAT's Cupra as examples of companies where dramatic, aggressive design makes sense.

As a refresher, Mindt is now responsible for design across the entire VW Group. He took over as Head of Group Design on March 1, adding the role to his existing position leading design at the core VW brand. The next model to embrace his styling approach will be the ID.4's replacement, which should debut soon as the ID. Tiguan.

Motor1's Take:\u00a0The automotive industry has spent years making cars look increasingly hostile, and the results haven't always been pretty. There was a time when designers could make a car look sporty or powerful without covering its front end in fake vents and giving it headlights that look like they're glaring at you.

There's also a certain irony in the fact that automakers keep talking about making mobility more sustainable and people-friendly while designing cars that look increasingly antisocial. A friendlier design won't solve the industry's biggest problems, of course, but it's a welcome change of direction.

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