Driving a car can be an adventure. Most days, it’s humdrum; other days, frustrating. But whatever the state of the roads, a beautiful car design can ensure any journey is a pleasurable one.

With the cars in each class having the same function, the same build, the same durability and the same engine power, design is what can make the difference. And because every automaker wants to stand out, they are striving to put out sexier-looking cars to attract buyers who once may have been sold on performance, power and after-sale service alone.

After all, it’s time-tested: Fashion sells, so car designers today seek to create something fashionable – inside and out.

“Over time, cars have become like clothes,” says Achmad Rizal, marketing and communications manager of Toyota Astra Motor. “They’re all about fashion that fits our lifestyle.”

Rizal points out that Indonesians are moving in a direction where fashion and image are more important than functionality. Men drive tough-looking SUVs (sport-utility vehicles) to show off their machismo; women choose SUVs to warn people not to mess with them on the streets.

“You wouldn’t expect a woman to drive an SUV, right?” Rizal says. So, he adds, when dealing with things like street crime, “women can trick [people] because they drive an SUV.”

Clearly, in this case, the car’s design supports its safety aspects.

Similarly, Jonfis Fandy, marketing and after-sales director of Honda Prospect Motor, says that demand for cars today is shifting to follow people’s changing lifestyles.

“The trend is not about whether it’s an SUV or an MPV [multi-purpose vehicle] anymore,” Jonfis says. Rather, “it’s about how one design can cross over with another, and how features of one car are mixed with features of other cars to meet people’s demands.”

Examples of design crossover can be seen in MPVs. Once upon a time, Jonfis explains, MPVs were all about size, and tended to have a flat, square design.

“But now they’re changing,” Jonfis says. “The front end is taking on a triangular shape like sedans, while the rear is in the square shape.”

As a result of these combinations, MPVs flaunt the artistic curves of an aerodynamic style, while at the same time maintaining the prime function of their interior space at the rear to fit more people or luggage.

“After all, the basic concept of car design is to create minimum space for the machine and maximum space for the car’s volume, in this case passengers or luggage.”

Consequently, Jonfis points out, the challenge is to create cars that look compact from the outside, but are spacious on the inside.

Heading in this design crossover direction, Honda has just launched its luxury MPV, the Honda Freed. This sleek-looking minivan’s name is a combination of “free + do”, which means passengers can move freely inside the car, thanks to its “walk-through cabin”. Embracing the concept of a “triangle square + curving art surface”, Freed offers a new level of luxury and comfort.

“With Freed, MPVs aren’t only about carrying seven or 10 people anymore, but also about beautiful and luxurious design,” Jonfis says. “Drivers [and passengers] get the comfort of a sedan as well, without missing out on safety aspects.”

And Freed isn’t the first Honda car to embrace the design-crossover concept. The Honda CRV has also crossed the boundaries of the basic concepts of an SUV.

There’s no denying that MPVs and SUVs are the prima donnas in the local automotive industry. So it’s no wonder automakers today are seeking ways to combine the most attractive features and designs of the two.

“On one side, Indonesian people are family-oriented, so they need a car that is big enough [like an MPV],” says Tri Mulyono, executive coordinator of the public relations department of Daihatsu Astra Mobil. “Besides, in a time of crisis, people seek multifunctional cars that are efficient in terms of fuel use.”

On the other hand, “People see SUVs as stylish cars, especially those who live in the city but still want to have that ‘off-road’ look.”

This demand is driving the ongoing efforts to combine designs and features of existing models. The idea of crossover design is also behind the designs from German automaker Volkswagen (VW). Volkswagen claims it is rejecting labels such as MPV or SUV, and instead making driving pleasure the top priority.

“Volkswagen cars do not emphasize [car] types,” says Andrew Nasuri, CEO of Volkswagen Indonesia (Garuda Mataram Motor). “Instead, we emphasize the concept of ‘fun to drive’ where a car is enjoyable for both drivers and passengers.”

According to this “fun to drive” concept, Volkswagen car designs ignore any restrictions, freely mixing one type of VW with another to fit customers’ tastes. The Volkswagen MPV Touran, for example, is infused with a sports-car feel.

“It’s a family sports car,” Andrew says of the car that was launched in Indonesia in June this year.

For an MPV, the label of “family sports car” truly sounds sexy. And to match the sexy concept, the look is sexy as well. Volkswagen lovers will find the Touran looks similar to the VW Golf. The headlights are curvy and overall the front end is aesthetically appealing. Perhaps it could be said that the Touran is a longer version of the Golf.

Another Volkswagen car that demonstrates the style trend in car design in the way it embraces the sporty look is the Tiguan. The Tiguan shows clearly what happens when designers breed a sports car with an SUV. It’s designed for car drivers who enjoy SUVs’ individual look of versatility, but also expect a high-end level of comfort, agility and variability.

And in the same way an SUV is built to go off-road — its original purpose — the Tiguan is created to face tough urban road conditions such as potholes or flooding. Endowed with that sports-car feel, the Tiguan is injected with fun as it takes drivers through the “urban jungle”.

The fever for sporty designs has infected not only Volkswagen. Japanese automaker Mitsubishi is injecting a strong spirit of “tough, macho and sporty” into its car designs, among them the new Pajero Sport.

Once a name linked only to off-road vehicles, the Pajero has returned with a sportier version, in a design that fits with urban family use, characterized by more a more spacious and comfortable interior.

“With Pajero Sport, not only can you carry more people, but you also get a stylish look,” says Intan Vidiasari, head of public relations for Mitsubishi Indonesia.

Aside from the cool design of Pajero Sport, Mitsubishi is taking the design crossover concept further with its “green” concept car, the i-MiEV Sport.

This sporty electric car is based on its predecessor i-MiEV, which has been available in Japan since last year. The name “MiEV” itself comes from “Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle”.

“Most of the time, green or hybrid cars using high technology adopt stiff, boring designs,” Intan says. “But we want to break that line, offering a high-tech car that is fun to look at and drive.”

The i-MiEV Sport is reminiscent of the VW New Beetle. It’s small, roundish and looks playful. With a sporty style on the outside, the i-MiEV is infused with futuristic design features on the inside.

Although it’s still a concept car, the i-MiEV Sport sets a trendy example of what a hybrid car should look like, Intan adds.

“People do not only go for high technology. After all, they look for designs, and [in the future] they want cars that are not as boring as the concept of high technology itself,” she says.

Well said. It seems that cars will continue to cross over from one design to another, as automakers move to keep up with people’s changing lifestyles.

As Jonfis points out, “One day, a family won’t have to own many cars, but only one car that will meet the needs of all its members.”

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