To the question “do you think that the post-Covid-19 period will be different in your professional world? “the designers have generally the same reasoning: “Yes!” Here are their answers, to think about…
THIERRY METROZ
DS Design Director “Yes, inevitably, given the economic impact on all societies in all countries. As a designer it’s an opportunity to imagine disruptive future products, perhaps more in line with the real needs of our customers, and to focus on the fundamentals and deep DNA of DS automobiles. Within the brand and more broadly within the Group, we have this culture of performance, the search for efficiency and a strongly rooted Darwinian philosophy; this crisis will be an accelerator for this.”
SABINE PANNETRAT
Design Manager Colors and trim – DS Brand “Absolutely. The automotive industry is very shaken by this health crisis. We will have to create opportunities from very strong constraints linked to the looming economic crisis. I am interested in these new challenges because they concern both the way we will work within the company and the analysis of the impact of this crisis on society and perhaps a new way of looking at the world, our priorities and the environment. What will be the role of a Colors & Materials designer in this context? Where are we going to put our energy? How do we respond to the new needs of our customers? This is exciting.”
BERTRAND BACH
Senior design director – Changan Europe “A change ? Yes, I deeply hope so. Car design is too slow in adapting new solutions, in my opinion. In 2020, we should be able to do things differently than in 2000 . Profoundly different: simpler, faster, lighter, more efficient, flexible, environmentally friendly.”
PIERRE LECLERCQ
Citroën Design Director “The priority at the moment is to preserve the health of our teams and to accept what is happening in front of us as positively as possible. Certainly, we will also find strength in the way we work. I believe that this health crisis, coupled with an economic crisis, will change us all. We are writing a new page in our history on a daily basis. We will all have to learn from this experience. On a professional level, on a personal level, on how we organize our daily life, on how we interact with our friends, our neighbours. But it is still far too early to detail all these changes. I don’t have a crystal ball.”
FRANÇOIS FARION
Design Director Colors and trim – Renault. “Such unprecedented events will no doubt change how we work and interact: remote business meetings or decision-making, taking a step back to reflect on some issues, will no longer seem dubious or rare. In this sense, there will be an after Covid-19. How this will affect our relation to the automobile as part of our lives is harder to evaluate/predict: will the car look less relevant as a transportation medium, and as an investment for a household? Will it help, more than governmental measures, the transition to more electrified vehicles after discovering the side-benefits of confinement (silence, pollution reduction)?”
AMKO LEENARTS
Design Director Ford Europe “Good design needs will remain so our profession isn’t under attack. However, the way we continue to deliverer will. I think this period pushes all the limits in efficiency and communication in a productive way.”
LIGNES/auto is also a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lignesauto/?modal=admin_todo_tour
