CAR DESIGN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 22, 5 November 1938, Page 9

CAR DESIGN

WHAT OWNERS THINK, AN INTERESTING SURVEY. With the object of obtaining a. clue to the reaction of the average motorist to advanced designs of motor cars, a survey was recently made in America of some hundreds of motorists selected from a cross-section of car owners. Each investigator was provided with a set of 32 pictures of cars, 26 of which represented 1938 American production models, and six Continental experimental,' specialised, or theoretical models of very advanced design. The ultramodern cars were selected for definite reasons, as they embraced rear-engine machines, “no bonnet” models and stream-lined construction with many windows. The pictures all showed tile cars in three-quarter view, with all names, symbols, or distinguishing features removed. These illustrations were submitted in four groups of eight cars each. Each motorist was asksd) (1) “Which of these cars do you consider the bestlooking ” (2) “How would you rate this car on appearance —excellent, good, fair, or poor?” (3) “What d,o you dislike about this car?” when an opinion was expressed that one of the cars illustrated was fair or poor. The ten designs most favoured incorporated styling in the conventional or moderate school ; the ten cars at the bottom of the list embodied radical streamlining. The study showed; that the typical owner wants his car to he up-to-date, but in a restrained manner. The advanced and, extreme types of Continental models submitted found little or no favour with men or women.

The leading individual reasons given by the respondents as. to why they rated some of the car designs as “fair” or “poor” showed that their dislikes were focused mainly on mudguards, which came in for most criticism. Then came the front appearance of some of the models. Some radiators were next challenged on the score of appearance, followed by “too advanced” types, and then came bonnets, some of which were deemed too short. It. was found that out of 540 motorists covered, by the survey, men were more favourable than women to advanced; ideas in design, but neither sex cared for the extreme in design, a finding that is in accordance with the voiced opinions of many world leaders in the motor manufacturing industry, that motorists, in general, are not yet ready for radical changes in the appearance of cars.