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Has Chevy lost it's design mojo?

25K views 153 replies 79 participants last post by  PHAT-JAY 
#1 ·
I've just been thinking about some of Chevy's new designs and - I don't know - they all pretty much leave my soul unstirred. Their lines are so uninspired and yes, derivative. It's like someone's been dropping Valiums into the Chevy Design team's coffee pot.

The new Malibu for example. Drop the coss bar grill and bowtie emblems, and don't tell me that you couldn't confuse it for a Camry. It's longer rear overhang and shorter wheelbase kills the athletic proportions of the previous Malibu.

The Cruze. Looks okay with the 18" wheels. Looks like an invisible, generic, econobox without them. Think about the Cruze's geneology. Cruze --> Cobalt --> Cavalier --> Monza --> Vega. Have some semblence of sportiness. Even without the big wheels.

Impala. Not terrible. But it's got that non-discript grill which all of the new Chevy's are going to get. Frankly, it looks like a Taurus with some last minute unresolved character lines awkwardly tacked onto it's rear haunches. I was really hoping for much more on this one.

Sonic. Okay, I actually really like that one - especially the sedan.

Spark. Yuck, don't even get me started.

Has anyone seen the new Trailblazer? Why even bother.

When I was a kid, I thought EVERY Chevy looked cool. I used to watch ADAM-12 just to see the Chevy cop cars. I even thought Chevy work vans were good looking. So, what's going over there at the design center? Everyone in a coma?
 
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#2 ·
Chevy is GM's Toyota. It's the vanilla for the masses. Pontiac, Buick, Olds were the brands catering to more specific tastes. Chevy is mostly plain, but comes up with some nice things occasionally. I don't recall ever liking Chevy police cars or vans though. JMO
 
#4 ·
Yes. They have. The Malibu is pretty sweet, but not ground-breaking. The Camaro is nice. The Colorado is meh. Trailblazer I actually kind of like. Impala is also nice.

Sonic looks too kiddy in the rear lights on the sedan, but is okay.

Cruze is average, acceptable. It's neutral. Definitely not going to turn heads.

Spark isn't bad for what it is. I get what they're going for and it works, just not for me.

Volt is pure science, so I don't really think you buy it for design, but it isn't ugly. It looks reasonable and sculpted to purpose, not to please.

Corvette is horrendous. Wish it looked more like a Mantide :(... Next-gen better step up its game.

Traverse is blah. Equinox isn't my speed, there's better out there. Tahoe/Suburban/Silverado are at the top (interiors and color choice aside).

I'm waiting for the new trucks, they should be pretty interesting... A 130R design would beef up the portfolio, too. The SS, meh... Never a fan of the G8 and I never found it interesting or appealing. I think it's more for the NEEDS RWD AND V8 crowd than the sexy sport sedan crowd.

Chevy's Ford counterparts are much better, design-wise I think. They have very refined looking exteriors. I still think the new Malibu eats the Fusion's lunch, though. Focus beats Cruze. The Fiesta is a hot little number. The Taurus has it all over this Impala, but the new Impala is much nicer.

The Explorer is great, the Escape is great, the Flex isn't my speed but it's pretty cool, and the Edge is... a dark spot in an otherwise bright lineup.



GM as a whole has poor color and interior choices. Millennials don't want to be pigeonholed into the same 6 colors. That's definitely an edge they don't have. Has Chevy lost its mojo, though? I think it's trying to design cars to appease the youth and the old guys who don't want to accept their age, and they're often only half-pleasing both. I've never been around when any brand at GM "had" its mojo, so I can't say if they've lost it, but from the 80s-90s-2000s, they've definitely gained a lot of lost ground design-wise.

I think they're all on their way back to a greatness. Including Chevy. Chevy lost its mojo a loooong time ago, but it's steadily regaining it.
 
#5 ·
I've been thinking about this myself. There definitely is something going on, and I personally don't like it. Every time I see a new Chevrolet, the designers just seem to be after trends than anything original. Either that, or they are trying to make their cars look like it's trying to impress me, in which it is not.

I would have loved to see the new Impala take on some design cues from the 2001 SS concept, especially that rear wedge with the quad-circular taillights. I like the Sonic, but I don't like that it's trying to follow the same shape with the grille that Ford has already been using for a long time now (I remember seeing old 1970's or 1980's era Ford semi trucks with that hexagonal grille shape, and then there are the new Mustangs). However, I wonder if the Sonic's exposed head and tail lights could be a new thing for Chevrolet (as one of those design identifiers like the kidney-shaped grilles on BMWs).

I'll also say this: I've been working on a design project focusing on a new take on Chevrolet and GMC full-size trucks for the past year (still not halfway done yet). When it comes to the Chevrolet trucks, I had a hard time trying to find a new look for them that would be very "Chevrolet", and not so derivative. What I ended up deciding on is modernizing some old design ideas, such as the large rectangular openings of the second and third generation C/K trucks.

While working on that project, I also found that many companies continually rely on old design styles that really identified their companies, or even evolving an old design that worked well in the past, but could still work today. For me, the Mini Cooper is a car that comes to mind, along with the Fiat 500. Even Mercedes Benz uses the same horizontal-barred grille design that was present on some of their cars long, long ago. I wonder if Chevrolet could look to the past to see if there are any styling cues that have always identified their cars and trucks as "Chevrolet", and modernize it for today's design styles. One thing I would love to see is the type of separate wedge pieces on the rear of the cars, such as what the 63 Impalas had (and I think that idea was played with on the 2001 SS concept). One thing they are doing right now is the dual ****pit interior design that i think is based off of the C1 Corvette interior.

I understand that, sometimes it is better to just look forward and find something new, but there is nothing wrong about using an old design cue and evolving it because it could be a great way to really add a uniqueness to the cars.
 
#7 ·
I've been thinking about this myself. There definitely is something going on, and I personally don't like it. Every time I see a new Chevrolet, the designers just seem to be after trends than anything original. Either that, or they are trying to make their cars look like it's trying to impress me, in which it is not.
Yeah, I feel a lot of them are derivative of trends or try to like show me what they think people want. Trends are TRENDS and they suck and are fleeting, originality and distinctiveness are forever.

I would have loved to see the new Impala take on some design cues from the 2001 SS concept, especially that rear wedge with the quad-circular taillights.
I personally thought that was way too retro/over-the-top/ridiculous, but I would have loved 6 lights on the Impala. It's a simple, classic cue.

I'll also say this: I've been working on a design project focusing on a new take on Chevrolet and GMC full-size trucks for the past year (still not halfway done yet). When it comes to the Chevrolet trucks, I had a hard time trying to find a new look for them that would be very "Chevrolet", and not so derivative. What I ended up deciding on is modernizing some old design ideas, such as the large rectangular openings of the second and third generation C/K trucks.
Chevy just needs to modernize their old designs. I like the current Silverado, but it can be so much more distinctive.

While working on that project, I also found that many companies continually rely on old design styles that really identified their companies, or even evolving an old design that worked well in the past, but could still work today. For me, the Mini Cooper is a car that comes to mind, along with the Fiat 500. Even Mercedes Benz uses the same horizontal-barred grille design that was present on some of their cars long, long ago. I wonder if Chevrolet could look to the past to see if there are any styling cues that have always identified their cars and trucks as "Chevrolet", and modernize it for today's design styles. One thing I would love to see is the type of separate wedge pieces on the rear of the cars, such as what the 63 Impalas had (and I think that idea was played with on the 2001 SS concept). One thing they are doing right now is the dual ****pit interior design that i think is based off of the C1 Corvette interior.

I understand that, sometimes it is better to just look forward and find something new, but there is nothing wrong about using an old design cue and evolving it because it could be a great way to really add a uniqueness to the cars.
I don't think a company can truly build a cohesive, successful design language for itself if it doesn't take cues from past success.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I have to agree with you, Chevy's designs are pretty lacking with a few exceptions....

When I look at a lot of their new vehicles, it seems like a great deal of effort is put into certain areas like the front end of the new Impala, the side profile of the Sonic and upcoming Colorado. It almost seems like they run out of money working on the parts that they knock out of the park and just sort-of throw the rest together as cheaply as the can.

I think that Chevrolet did do a remarkable job on the Camaro and Cruze and pretty good on the Sonic (I wish that it had projector headlights, less cheap-looking taillights and a more conventional instrument cluster). The Cruze does sort-of get lost in the crowd as far as looks go however it is a pretty nice-looking car and it seems like all of the designers where on the same page during the design process.

I agree with you that the new Malibu is a let down as is the new Colorado and Impala.

I don't feel that it is just Chevrolet that has lost its design mojo, I feel like all of the divisions with the exception of Cadillac have also.

I myself am very disappointed in GM. I know that they are capable of better but it is as if they just aren't hungry enough. Kia and Hyundai are, as is Dodge and Chrysler. The hungry automakers that are seeking market share will end of gaining it at GM's expense if they do not get their s... together.
 
#9 ·
The Malibu is a perfect example of Chevrolet's design problem. It could be the best, most capable car in the segment, but line it up against the upcoming Fusion, a new Sonata, Optima, even the new Altima, and the Malibu looks 5 years old. There's arrogance in their design choice, as if they didn't think they had to try any harder. And the Cruze in my opinion looks great from the front, but the rear looks like a Korean econocar...while ironically the Korean econocars now have style.
 
#12 ·
...too many GM designers have been "...drinking..." from the Daewoo design-school Kool-Aid
 
#13 ·
Let's see, Chevy isn't vanilla?:
Offering a "NEW" Chevy SS with a 5 year old engine when a new truck with the band new DI v-8 is sitting next to it on the lot
A NEW Cruze to replace the Cobalt of who's chassis and drivetrain was recognized by major magazines as one of the best, but GM kills it instead of brining it forward in a competitive body and interior - GOD FORBID the 2.0 turbo get dropped in it (Ford figured it out!)

I loved my GMs, but with the death of Pontiac, there is nothing sporting anymore... every time I see a v-6 Camaro, all I see is how ratted out and abused they will be in 10 years - GREAT for the image ....
Oh well, Superbee, here I come....
 
#63 ·
Here we go with the V-6 Camaro bashing again.....from a Pontiac fan. Lets see, how many V-6 Firebirds did I see out on the road "ratted out and abused" well whatever that means. How many G5's and G6's do I have to laugh at. Don't get me started on late model Grand Prix.

The Camaro is a beautiful design. From the side profile you cannot tell if the car is a V6 or V8, with the exception of the wheels. Me, I would personally rather have the lighter weight 18's on a V8 anyway, better performance. From the rear the only difference is the marginally smaller exhaust tips. The front? Just the non-functional hood "slit".

Soo......basically you are just here to bash the people that actually wanted a V6 like myself without questioning why that might be? Well for one I don't feel like putting up with AFM, it's a "technology" I would only ever put up with on a booring econobox. Second, even a base SS is expensive, and for the money did not check off all the things that I wanted in a car at that price point.

Yes you can call the V6 Camaro a "value" purchase but why does that automatically translate to an owner incapable of taking pride in their vehicle? Is a V8 required to love a car?
 
#14 ·
I have to agree to some degree here. The new Malibu and Impala are both a huge disappointment to me. I like the Cruze and Sonic but I am not going to be in the market for a small car when I replace my 2008 Malibu which I love. If I stay with GM it will be a Buick or Caddy but that's only if I can afford one.

My only hope now- Chevy SS.
 
#17 ·
There are 165 people viewing this thread right now. That is VERY telling.

GM- you have some work to do.....
 
#23 ·
I'm gonna stay with the positives since my 'pedigree' isn't GM...

...I've never been around when any brand at GM "had" its mojo...
Did Chevy ever have design mojo?
wish you guys could take a time machine back to the 60's & (maybe 1/2) the 70's
imho
it was like driving(riding=me) thru a country-wide art museum everyday

here are just a few personal favorites...
loved these tail lights:

& these too (tho they were part of the 'in-bumper' trend) :


still love the 'canopy' rear windows:


&
was partial to this front end:


moving to the present;
love the greenhouse on the last Malibu - soooo elegant
(the tail lights could've been so easily 'fixed' by raising them imho)

*LOVE* the Volt
kinda thought the same as you for many mainstream buyers:
Volt is pure science, so I don't really think you buy it for design, but it isn't ugly. It looks reasonable and sculpted to purpose, not to please. ..
BUT
at an autoshow, there was this matronly woman saying over & over, "It sure is Pretty!"
:)
 
#19 ·
chevy designs have bored me lately too.. but i am a fan of the new Impala... Malibu, not so much. Seen a sonic for the 1st time up close today, its actually a really nice looking little car! have yet to see the spark up close. the new colorado and trailblazers do nothing for me tho. and i have alwasy thought the Cruze looked boring and dated from the start :/
 
#20 ·
To me it's mostly the little things, which make me wonder sometimes how they ever got approved.
How does the CEO look at the Black plastic C Pillar on the Cruze and OK it? How about how the hood meets the grill?
The Malibu interior with the cheap looking square gauge pods and that vent going across?
The 2013 Cruze pics we've been seeing with those hideous foglamps that don't look like they belong?

There are some hits as well, but not a cohesive design mentality that won't allow substandard design cues to be approved.
 
#21 ·
I prefer the modern conservative Chevrolet designs over the really grotesque stuff they were putting out in the early 2000s. It used to be that every Chevy looked cheap and semi-deformed.

On an auto enthusiast forum, people are always going to prefer the more sporty and dynamic cars. But Chevrolet is supposed to be a 'safe' middle-American brand, and conservative styling goes along with that.
 
#27 ·
This is true! Consider the 2000 Impala, what a screwy looking car, and with super-cheap looking trim (e.g. hubcaps). Or the Cavalier or anything, doubly so on the inside (terrible terrible)

Compare to the current Malibu. It is conservative, but at least, perhaps excepting the front clip, quite attractive (e.g. the rear door shape)

Chevy hasn't had design mojo to lose for a very very long time. The 90s and 2000s were awful. You had the Cavalier (horrid car), then the Cobalt (only the Corolla rivaled it in blandness). The 2005+ Malibu was insultingly bad, the 2008+ was much better, but the new one seems to have some awkward proportions.

I think GM is chasing two ends with Chevy design. You have Mercedes-esque graphics (probably GM's attempt at "upscale") executed in Asian style with some cliche American elements thrown in whether they fit or not. This describes the new Malibu perfectly going from front to side to the back.

Having said that though I like the Sonic, I've warmed up to the Cruze (minus the Korean rear end), and the new Impala looks very promising. I like the new Chevy corporate grill a lot more than the split grill look, even if it's more generic. The Lambda MCEs have also been improvements.
It's funny... remember when Mercedes used to try and copy GM?

 
#22 ·
I like the new corporate look even better. The new Traverse looks so much better than the original. The new Impala kills the old one. The new Malibu looks great until the rear (that's where they try to put Camaro ques?). The Cruze looks good in RS guise. The Sonic has actually grown on me quite a bit. I think the new Trailblazer looks similar to a Mercedes M or G class. That seems good to me. I just hope the new full size trucks are testosteroned-up a bit. I had a 2001 Silverado Z71 and I thought it looked so tough. It still looks tougher than the new ones.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I think the new Impala looks great, I think its going to be the best looking car in its class (and I really like the Taurus). I like the Sonic for what it is as well, Im not a huge fan of that class of car, but I think the Sonic was well done.


The Cruze could use a refresh up-front and I thought the Malibu should have been a little more edgy....

Overall I think they are doing alright..Could be better, but could be worse.
 
#26 ·
Chevy hasn't had design mojo to lose for a very very long time. The 90s and 2000s were awful. You had the Cavalier (horrid car), then the Cobalt (only the Corolla rivaled it in blandness). The 2005+ Malibu was insultingly bad, the 2008+ was much better, but the new one seems to have some awkward proportions.

I think GM is chasing two ends with Chevy design. You have Mercedes-esque graphics (probably GM's attempt at "upscale") executed in Asian style with some cliche American elements thrown in whether they fit or not. This describes the new Malibu perfectly going from front to side to the back.

Having said that though I like the Sonic, I've warmed up to the Cruze (minus the Korean rear end), and the new Impala looks very promising. I like the new Chevy corporate grill a lot more than the split grill look, even if it's more generic. The Lambda MCEs have also been improvements.
 
#31 ·
GM (not just Chevy) has become very Vanilla. As far as styling, I used to like everything from the little Chevette S Coupe on up. Not any more. The new corporate Chevy grill featured on the new Impala is horrible. They better not stick that ugly mug on Camaro.
 
#34 ·
Are you guys kidding me comparing the GM 90's designs? Cav-daver? Toyo-Malibu? Lumina? The Camaro began its decline in the 90's then disappeared.

Compared to Honda and Toyota-GM has made huge strides. Ford has made some solid moves but the Fusion despite being one makeover ahead of the Malibu trails poorly. Focus is a clear winner over the Cruze but the Cruze beats the Corolla, Civic and Sentra. The 2013 Impala looks very impressive. The Camaro looks better than the stang. Explorer big over the Lambdas. Escape finally looks decent but the previous model was way behind Equinox. Fiesta looks better than the Sonic but the Sonic outperforms the Fiesta and the Sonic is a HUGE step forward over the Aveo.

My biggest complaint with GM is not the designs but the unwillingness to keep them fresh and make upgrades on a regular basis.

And you have to give Buick lots of credit not only for redesigns but for the next products as well.

GM is not the leader in design IMHO that title now goes to Kia (I just can't wrap my head around the Hyundai look though it is an improvement over past efforts) but it has made tremendous strides.
 
#35 ·
I thought the designs of the last 3-5 years were OK (the split grill) but the new ones coming out I'm not a fan of. With that said, let me echo what others have already said:

GM seems more worried about making sure the 'higher' brands (Buick and Cadillac) look better than Chevy so those owners are getting a 'premium' vehicle..that in most cases they seem like they are 'dumbing down' the Chevy designs.
 
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