Putting the right “face” on a car or truck often adds up to the difference between a hit and a flop, explains the Wall Street Journal. After all, about 88 percent of men say they prefer a car with a distinctive front end. And today, some of the most successful cars are starting to look meaner, angrier and, at times, downright evil. “Frankly, it looks like it will bite your head off,” says designer J Mays of the Mustang. Meanwhile, “the Charger’s eyes are definitely its greatest asset,” said Chrysler’s Ralph Gilles. “The headlights seem to make eye contact,” he said. “A mean face is what we’re going for.” Hyundai’s Eric Stoddard points out that the mean look helps even timid drivers keep others at bay. The message? “Get out of my way.” Of course, not all cars need to look angry. BMW’s latest models are known for their scowling faces, but BMW’s wildly successful Mini does just fine with its friendly looks. Volvo says it aims for a strong look — with broad shoulders that convey protection, while not looking mean. Still, automakers are well aware of the trend toward angry looks. Prompted by the success of the Chrysler 300, Ford has said it will update its 500 sedan to appear meaner. [WSJ Subscribers - Full Article Here].
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03/10, 3:29 PM
posted by:
Bad pun guy
“After all, about 88 percent of men say they prefer a car with a distinctive front end.” Heh, yeah. Thats how we like our women too
03/10, 4:05 PM
posted by:
JD
The new M5 is one case of an EVIL looking car. I saw one on the expressway not long ago and it looked possessed. Possessed and BEAUTIFUL.
03/10, 5:45 PM
posted by:
Jordan
It’s true, I usually try to make them look evil/mean when I design them.
03/10, 5:48 PM
posted by:
Matt
And then there’s the ferrari 599 and 612, which proves that it’s possible to make cars look a little *too* happy.
03/10, 8:00 PM
posted by:
Anonymous
Just don’t make them look like angry birds cause our VP may go out shooting at those cars….
03/10, 9:24 PM
posted by:
JW
hahahaha…thats a good one #5….toyota doesnt have anything mean or aggressive…those chevy trucks look crazy whixh will make you want to get out of the way too
03/11, 12:27 AM
posted by:
captain america
the latest generation of silverados have the mean look and their sales have drasticly dropped…they look mean…but ugly…
03/11, 6:19 AM
posted by:
DaEMoN
What the hell?! An article about angry looking cars and no one said “Alfa Romeo”?
Just to show you what I mean, I add the URL to a pic of the latest 159. Tell me if that doesn’t look bad***!
http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/7443/alfa1590av.jpg
03/11, 11:25 AM
posted by:
alex
Wow that alfa romeo looks awesome. i want one, even though its 4 doors, which is usually to practical for me. it sucks living in the US and not being able to get all those cool european cars.
03/11, 1:12 PM
posted by:
Madcapp
The E90 3 series is needs to be in the fugly category, not the mean category. Sombody else summed it up best with Bangle, BMW carries Bangle…not the other way around. If Bangle worked for Fiat or Peugeot, He would be universally recongized as a laughing stock that he is. It the BMW emblem that’s clouding peoples objective judgement on Bangles’ terrible designs.
03/11, 1:23 PM
posted by:
Joel A
While Mazda has redesigned the MX-5 (formerly known as the Miata) to be more ‘aggressive’, it would be a stretch to call it mean-looking.