American firm takes a modest approach in Renault 4 remake
Allen Zadeh and his partner Robert Foote approached the Renault 4EVER challenge as they would a suitcase design.
This exercise was intended to free them from conventional automotive thinking. Car culture has accumulated a lot of unwritten design rules. For instance, vehicle forms feel compelled tell us what is under their hood: this car is fast, or this truck is muscular. The exterior must be reflective with a metallic finish and chrome edging. Particularly in the U.S. market, vehicles are careful to stay within a narrow band of emotional expression, between flatly serious to moderately aggressive.
The design of a suitcase, on the other hand, doesn’t carry nearly so much baggage.