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VW endeavors to capture desire in design
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In a car market like China’s, where motorists yearn for a sense of road presence, how a car looks is as important as how it performs.
By setting an early benchmark for cars in China with its iconic design, Volkswagen has long held a leadership position in the market. But as consumers grow more sophisticated about their own tastes, will VW models keep them interested? Simon Loasby, design director of Volkswagen Group China, offered some insights on the subject during the recent Volkswagen Media Open Day in Shanghai.
Q: Volkswagen’s “family look” strategy is aimed at strengthening brand awareness among consumers, but will it deflect their attention from the personality of each model?
A: For now, we don’t see that as a problem. Of course, if we carry that strategy for too long, it will become one.
We see the need to change, and we don’t want our customers to get bored. We have to keep moving forward, but not so quickly that we lose them. The majority of our customers are still looking for stable Volkswagen cars that are recognizable and understandable.
Our design is a responsible statement that we want to keep 80-90 percent of customers with us.
It’s the right time to start creating more varieties, but we have to be careful to take it one step at a time.
Q: While Chinese consumers have started to appreciate individuality in car design, the new Bora, Santana, Jetta, and Lavida sedans of Volkswagen still look like a set of Russian nesting dolls, with similar faces in different sizes. Why is there no clear differentiation?
A: I would argue that they are really differentiated. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have sold so many of each product. The Jetta and Santana, for example, have very different consumer profiles, with one being more sporty and the other being more elegant. The limousine has the main core volume in China, while in Europe, it is the hatchback. We are creating derivatives of basic products to offer China more varieties. The Gran Lavida tourer and its crossover version the Cross Lavida have just joined the Lavida family this year to complement the hot-selling Lavida sedan.
Q: Why is there such a big difference in Chinese and European preferences for car models, as you mentioned?
A: China is similar to America in its vehicle types and tastes because both of them are quite big places. Europe is much smaller, which is why it started to look for a balance between space and efficiency much earlier.
For Europe, the car is usually just a pure utility item, with space practicality and economy among the most important specifications. But in China, having a car is a kind of luxury, a statement.
Q: Is Volkswagen serious about integrating Chinese elements into its overall design? It seems some foreign carmakers are using that simply as a marketing tool here.
A: If you look at our product portfolio, there are many cars that exist only in this market.
Let’s say the whole car is a Chinese element. To cater to China’s preference for spaciousness, the Magotan sedan here has a longer wheelbase than in Europe. And the Chinese-made Passat sedan has a whole load of aesthetic details that give it a more premium positioning, compared with its US version.China has a subconscious liking of extra detailed elements.
To understand that, you’ve only got to look at the buildings in Shanghai, where the tops of them always have extra decoration, such as illuminations. That’s why the grill of the new Passat has a much more luxurious execution, and its head and tail lights have a higher visual value. All these mean an extra level of attention to detail, not marketing.
Eighty percent of our design work is quite basic, such as making sure the proportion is right and the line is logical, while the remaining 20 percent can be made China-specific. As a German company, we respect and try our best to meet local needs. For example, a large number of our customers here choose gold color for their cars, which you won’t see anywhere else in the world. But we don’t want to overplay those cultural elements. When a European feels the design is Chinese and the Chinese think it is European, then we get it just right.
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