2007 China Automotive Design & Independent Innovation Conference
The 2007 China Automotive Design & Independent Innovation Conference, an event held last August, was said to be the first gathering of independent Chinese automakers in purpose of discussing local automotive styling. There were more than 140 design professionals who attended, including those from First Auto Works (FAW), Dongfeng Motor, Chery, Brilliance, Chana, Guangzhou Auto, Nanjing Automotive Corp. and some newcomers like Lifeng from Chongqing and Heoplan from Zhejiang. Other attendees include major suppliers Yengfeng-Visteon, local automotive design house Hidea and Ruifeng, and Industrial Design education institutions such as Tongji University and Jiangsu University.
The Nanjing is held the geographical center for the automotive industry in China, while SAIC, Chery and Geely are all within three hours distance along the Yangtze river. But, the Jinling Hotel in the city was the natural point of convergence.
The ‘Independent Innovation’ was one of the hot topics that the Chinese government opted to prioritize among its recent five year plan which influenced the decision to have professional designers participate in a four-day intensive automotive design workshop lectured by instructors from the Art Center College of Design, according to an article in businessweek.com.
A presentation from Chang Bing, Chief Designer at FAW was the first in the conference. Chang spoke about his work on the Hongqi concept sedan along with the ways to apply Chinese elements into modern design language. FAW is considered one of the oldest Chinese automotive companies, as it was established in 1958. It owns several independent brands, namely Hongqi, Benteng and Jiefang. They cover designs from passenger cars to industrial trucks.
Second presentation was from Zheng Su Lin, Design Director at Dongfeng Motor. Zheng was highly considered as the most prolific of Chinese auto designers. For the past five years, he designed almost half of today’s independent makers’ production models. In the conference, he presented more than five production projects for Chery and the recent Geely sedan.
Design Director Li-Chih Fu of Nanjing Automotive presented a full-size hatchback concept, where the design theme was taken from Nanjing city’s symbolic “Pi Xie” statue. Li-Chih demonstrated an interesting process of combining negative surfaces with stylistic curved edges, which is focused to create a balance between Chinese decoration and modern solidity. He also highlighted how the future Chinese youth market value expressive decoration and multi-functional space.
Shizuki Kajiyama of Yengfeng-Visteon’s presented a concept interior inspired by traditional Chinese dancer’s costume and dance gestures. Shizuki attempted to achieve an “east meets west” aesthetic blend with the use of modern material and lighting technology. He also mentioned the significance of nurturing a creative atmosphere for young designers in his studio, through showing wonderful fantasy artwork of some of the young talents.
Industrial Design Instructor Zhang Ming represented for Nanjing Arts Institute, a well-known Chinese Art school. Zhang made use of his teaching idea from NAI’s music school and instructed his students to design objects with musical influence. Those designs was what were presented, including a project which was inspired by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata to create a fluid and elegant 2+1 sports car for the typical one child Chinese family.
The theme of the conference was mainly focused on how to create a suitable shape and image for the Chinese market, through interpretation of cultural values and creating designs that will bring the community towards fast-paced modern lifestyle. Majority of the participants believe that backfire might occur with careless utilization of Chinese elements. Regardless, the country’s rich cultural heritage is held as a great source for unlimited creativity.
The Nanjing is held the geographical center for the automotive industry in China, while SAIC, Chery and Geely are all within three hours distance along the Yangtze river. But, the Jinling Hotel in the city was the natural point of convergence.
The ‘Independent Innovation’ was one of the hot topics that the Chinese government opted to prioritize among its recent five year plan which influenced the decision to have professional designers participate in a four-day intensive automotive design workshop lectured by instructors from the Art Center College of Design, according to an article in businessweek.com.
A presentation from Chang Bing, Chief Designer at FAW was the first in the conference. Chang spoke about his work on the Hongqi concept sedan along with the ways to apply Chinese elements into modern design language. FAW is considered one of the oldest Chinese automotive companies, as it was established in 1958. It owns several independent brands, namely Hongqi, Benteng and Jiefang. They cover designs from passenger cars to industrial trucks.
Second presentation was from Zheng Su Lin, Design Director at Dongfeng Motor. Zheng was highly considered as the most prolific of Chinese auto designers. For the past five years, he designed almost half of today’s independent makers’ production models. In the conference, he presented more than five production projects for Chery and the recent Geely sedan.
Design Director Li-Chih Fu of Nanjing Automotive presented a full-size hatchback concept, where the design theme was taken from Nanjing city’s symbolic “Pi Xie” statue. Li-Chih demonstrated an interesting process of combining negative surfaces with stylistic curved edges, which is focused to create a balance between Chinese decoration and modern solidity. He also highlighted how the future Chinese youth market value expressive decoration and multi-functional space.
Shizuki Kajiyama of Yengfeng-Visteon’s presented a concept interior inspired by traditional Chinese dancer’s costume and dance gestures. Shizuki attempted to achieve an “east meets west” aesthetic blend with the use of modern material and lighting technology. He also mentioned the significance of nurturing a creative atmosphere for young designers in his studio, through showing wonderful fantasy artwork of some of the young talents.
Industrial Design Instructor Zhang Ming represented for Nanjing Arts Institute, a well-known Chinese Art school. Zhang made use of his teaching idea from NAI’s music school and instructed his students to design objects with musical influence. Those designs was what were presented, including a project which was inspired by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata to create a fluid and elegant 2+1 sports car for the typical one child Chinese family.
The theme of the conference was mainly focused on how to create a suitable shape and image for the Chinese market, through interpretation of cultural values and creating designs that will bring the community towards fast-paced modern lifestyle. Majority of the participants believe that backfire might occur with careless utilization of Chinese elements. Regardless, the country’s rich cultural heritage is held as a great source for unlimited creativity.
posted by Patti @ 7:46 PM
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