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Driving Force
Clothes are our
uniform in the world, but a car signals where you are headed in life.
Or so says one designer. Maggie Tiojakin reports.
 “Vroom! Vroom!”
roars the Batmobile every time the dark-robed hero speeds off at
60,000 (or so it seems) miles per hour to catch the villain. The same
noise is produced by Veronica’s little red Corvette whenever she
drives past the awe-struck Archie Andrews, whose beloved Jalopy can
barely muster a mild “Brrr…”
Then, of course, there’s James Bond and his widely popular vehicle.
Whoever says a car is just a car has clearly never driven an Aston
Martin (nor have they ridden next to Mr. Bond, for that matter.)
So what is it exactly about a car that makes or breaks a person’s
carefully constructed public persona?
“[A car] is not just a product you use,” says Chris Bangle, chief
designer of BMW Group in whose care the BMW’s 3 Series and X5 Sports
Activity Vehicle have emerged as some of the world’s leading
automotive designs. “It is you.”
In Bangle’s words, a car is an avatar of the person who owns it. He is
concerned that overpopulated countries like
Japan,
Singapore and Indonesia are planning to curb the number of private
cars on the streets.
“Without a car, who’s gonna do the talking before the actual meeting
for you?” he asked an audience of about 20 journalists invited to
Singapore for a workshop with him in late 2007. “What’s gonna tell the
other person—the potential love of your life—how cool, successful and
sexy you are?”
Although the 51-year-old American was being humorous, more than half
of the people in the room nodded their heads approvingly.
Most automotive lovers and collectors will agree that choosing what
car to drive is not unlike finding the perfect gown or tuxedo to wear
on prom night: You don’t want to look good, you want to look amazing.
“I’m not a car freak,” says Riyanto Tumenggolo, an investment banker.
“But I love my car. I like how it makes me feel.”
Does his silver Audi provide an extra ounce of self-esteem?
“Well, sure,” he says. “If I go clubbing in a rusty, second-hand car
that belongs in a recycle bin … I mean, for real? No one’s going to
say yes when I ask them out on a date.”
 So it all comes down
to?
“The old rule of thumb, money,” comments Wawan, a car dealer. “Owning
a luxury car means you’re above average financially. It also means you
have a good job and probably a beautiful home somewhere. It sounds
superficial, but people are attracted to these things.”
Nevertheless, there are plenty of economy cars which do not
necessarily fall into the category of luxury vehicles, yet have the
look of a winner.
“Economical cars can look great,” Bangle says. “All you have to do, as
designers, is think outside of the box.”
One of the greatest challenges for future car designs, he warns, is to
avoid uniformity.
“You can’t ignore authenticity,” he adds. “Because a design—any
design—has to continue to improve and empower the market.”
In other words, stand out. Some believe they can tell a person by the
car he or she drives, while others see cars as simply transportation
“tools”.
“For me, it’s important to be different,” replies Riyanto. “It’s
important to own a car that I can identify with, that says something
about me.”
He’s not alone. A poll done in 2003 says there are more than 600
million passenger cars around the world, with that number expected to
double by 2030 (Forbes.) In Jakarta alone, the number of
privately owned automobiles has skyrocketed from 123,000 in 1964 to
almost 1.5 million 2006 (Kompas, 2007.)
Without a doubt, there’s more to a car than how it looks. Basic
aspects like effectiveness, fuel consumption and sustainability are no
less important in the process of designing a car.
“I believe in teamwork,” Bangle says in winding up his presentation.
“There’s so many people involved, from the engineers to the sketch
artists—everyone plays a vital role in the design process.”
And, next in line for BMW is …
“I can’t tell you that,” he chuckles. “You’ll have to keep your eyes
and ears open wide.”
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