I came across various car photos online and couldn't believe how common the design and execution of 21st century vehicles are...especially from the Japanese brands...and it's not just local or year preference. The vehicles below are 1) a 2007 Camry (Vietnam), 2) a 2005 Altima (U.S.) and a 3) 2008 Accord (U.S.)

varietydesigners

 

sorry.. fail.... looks like a corvette to me.

 

They actually have a Camry in Vietnam?

There's only so much manufacturers can do to differentiate their bread-and-butter models (family sedans) without alienating their customers. It appears like there are trends that work, and those who don't follow that trend lose the battle.

In 1990 Honda released a more rounded Accord compared to the boxy styling of the previous gen, and it worked. Toyota followed suit and gave the 92 Camry curvier bumpers and it worked too.

 

Wow, the 2008 Accord is a 2 door sports car! Gotta get one... Almost looks like a corvette!!

 

in SE asia if you have a Camry you are ballin'

 

That does indeed look like a Vette (which actually does have some style) ...

Let's try this one for the Accord:

 

I see a Corvette?

 

Get glasses. In post 6, it's an Accord.

 

I see what your saying and those photos make a damn good point, but it doesn't apply to all currently mass produced vehicles.
Scion XB is a pretty unique looking vehicle, as well as the Smart car, Corvette, & Hummer. Most anyone can easily spot and recognize these models based on styling alone.

 

Ummmm... no I know what I see...
I see a Corvette in the first post... did you miss it? You probably need glasses It says image hotlinked.

 

Damn, thats a suit looking accord...

 

car's definetely looks more and more alike now. I'll add to that list of cars:

 

I admit, I'm starting to find all sedans pretty boring. I am finding I really like kinda weird shaped cars ie. c30, 1st gen xb,

course sports cars haven't gone out of style yet. not even the corvetaccord.

 

If that particular Camry were stateside, you may be ballin' here. That is a nice looking Camry; WTH with the one here???

 

Easy guys.

Will, onebadna1nsx's post was about minute past Type34's updated post (#6). So they were effectively posting at the same time.

 

 

of course they all look similar.

A car is little more than a steel box on wheels and a plastic interior.

Everyone works with pretty much the same materials, has to conform to the same gov't regulations (emissions, capacity, CAFE, safety, etc) is targeting similar mass-market buyers and trying to minimize costs by buidiing to "platforms" within a product line. Within all these constraints they also have to make this box reasonably aerodynamic (i.e. Shape Limited).

You add it all up and .... duh .... lots of cars will have simlar shapes. Only a few design ques set one car off against another within most market segments.

 

Meh, try comparing some of the 80's sedans. From a distance try telling apart a Chevy Monte Carlo, a Buick Regal, a Crysler LeBaron, and a Buick Grand National. Or take a look at the 80's Maxima against a Camry. Cars have always had a tendency to look alike. If an automaker finds a design that works the others copy them, if you make something different, you risk the public really hating it and you wind up getting crushed in sales.

 

These threads always makes me laugh.

YES car designs are similar. It happens. People like curtain things and car manufacturers all are in tune with that. So some design elements may be similar. That said, if you look at 4 different cars of similar class and find no similarities then you are blind.

 

That's what I was thinking...just put some nice wheels on it and it will be a really good looking car.

 

*COUGH*Power Plenum!*COUGH* (though we have yet to see how it will sell...)

BTW that Corvettaccord totally rocks.

 

 

I totally agree with you Ravi. I mean look back at the car's of the past and you'll realize that the Big 3 manufacturers had models that were very similar in style and performance. There was the fin craze started by Chrysler and Cadillac, the small car faze with the Chevy II, the Ford Falcon and the Dodge Dart, etc. I really don't see how things have changed that much. Of course there's always going to be a model or two that start a new category or trend and look nothing like anything else on the road, but give it a year and you'll start seeing the competition producing something that shares some kind of characteristic with it.

 

damn, i got ripped off on my accord, should of gotten the corvette aero package

 

That's an Accord in your Avatar....hell I thought it was an Altima.

 

:troutslap
here maybe this will help you see better

 

^^^^

Nope....still looks like an Altima. I guess you got the grille from an Accord. Nice mod.

 

I think there are five versions of the Camry. The one that they have above (from Vietnam and also sold in SG and Austrailia under a diff name) is the sharpest. I think the exterior of that car is much nicer than the accord, but anyway yeah I agree that they all look similar these days, but not too much they can do really.

 

Thats not funny buddy. i came from VN, and theres mercedes and supras there too. Prolly only the top 5% of the population owns cars, but they are there.

 

 

Yeah... they DO LOOK SIMILAR!!!

OMG the CAMRY, ACCORD AND ALTIMA ALL HAVE FOUR WHEELS!!! AND FOUR DOORS!!! AND THEY ALSO ALL HAVE WINDSHIELDS!!!

Cars (especially in the sedan segment) have always shared common design themes - look at the old BMWs, Benzs, and Volvos. They were all boxy as hell.

Imo, its not a bad idea for cars to share common silhouettes. I mean think back to all the cars that stepped "outside the box" in terms of design. Here's one that'll make you throw up a little.

 

1950s cars all look the same also:



same with the 80s:

 

I don't think car companies do it to be mean, they must have learned that stepping too far
outside of the box alienates business. What I find strange is that while you'd expect the
lesser brands to imitate the better selling brands, Hyundai had a car that looks like the
current Accord a year or two before it cam out.

 

80s cars look more the same than they do now