From catching up to competing, Dongfeng Technology Center Designer Zhang Peng talks about automotive industrial design

How important is the \”appearance\” of a car? What kind of development path has China\’s automobile industry design taken in the 40 years of reform and opening up? What is the biggest challenge for Chinese designers? How do you view the gap with the international first-class level?

On July 1, \”The Road to China\’s Automobile Industry\” was broadcast on CCTV\’s financial channel \”Dialogue\”. Zhang Peng, director of the Styling and Creative Design Office of the Technology Center of Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd., was invited to be a guest speaker. He shared with three academicians Guo Konghui, Li Jun and Ouyang Minggao on the arduous journey of China\’s automobile industry design in the past 40 years of reform and opening up. It received widespread attention from the guests present.

Zhang Peng, Director of the Creative Design Office of Dongfeng Technology Center, was a guest on \”Dialogue\”

Start with imitation and start with innovation

In the early days of reform and opening up, compared with those century-old car companies, Chinese automobile brands Brands can only be regarded as toddlers who have just learned to walk. The design of Chinese car brands is still in its infancy. The car styles of the year were all copied by craftsmen from European and American cars and then made by hand hammering. At that time, almost Behind every Chinese car there is a corresponding foreign car.

With the opening of the door to reform and opening up, a large number of joint venture car companies have entered people\’s field of vision, opening a new era of car manufacturing. The most competitive among the joint venture brands are undoubtedly Jetta, Santana and Fukang. Due to their localization in China, they are called \”domestic cars\” by industry insiders, and have also made Chinese local companies write history. \”In my memory, I drove a Fukang after completing the Hong Kong-Beijing Rally in 1995 and drove to Tiananmen Square. When everyone cheered for us, Tiananmen was in the background. It felt very, very good at that time.\” I once drove a Fukang to Hong Kong. Lan He, an automotive media person from the Beijing Rally, said on the show.

In the 1990s, Dongfeng Citroen Fukang attracted attention as a racing car

Dongfeng Citroen Fukang and its contemporaries have all improved their styling in line with the Chinese market. It is also a since Since the 1980s and 1990s, With the accelerated development of the car market, the first batch of true \”styling designers\” began to emerge in China\’s automobile industry. They abandoned the practice of plagiarism and imitation and began to use their brushes to outline original works with a sense of design.

At the beginning of this century, the pace of cars entering households accelerated, and the development of China’s own brand cars accelerated A series of other reasons have further promoted the development of China\’s automobile industry design. At present, the appearance of Chinese-made cars is getting better and better, and the level of industrial design is also getting higher and higher.

\”What I am responsible for is. For so many years, our work on the interior and exterior styling design of our cars has started from scratch. Later, cars began to slowly become a necessity for home users. Only then did we have industrial designers for automobiles in the true sense. After joining the WTO, the level of China\’s automobile industry developed very rapidly and reached a very high level. level, which has been accumulated by generations of car designers, and has been passed down to the present. \”Zhang Peng said in an interview.

How to lead the trend when encountering growing pains

The strict confidentiality of the design process makes the design of the automotive industry invisible It is shrouded in mystery. In Zhang Peng\’s eyes, automotive industrial design is the most secretive profession.

Zhang Peng talks about automobile industrial design

\”The industrial design of automobiles and the shape of automobiles should be said to be the most confidential professions. It means that we communicate with other companies. Modeling is the profession of industrial design. It may be the least likely thing for you to come into contact with among all professions. Why, for example, you have seen the engine, but you have no relevant parameters, you have no relevant data, it is useless if you see it, but why is the modeling profession more confidential, because professional people come in? Just take a look and you can completely recreate it when you come back. \”Zhang Peng said frankly.

With one pen, starting from sketches, to renderings, to clay models, etc., a design work that needed to be made three or four years ago also has its own uniqueness in Zhang Peng\’s view. Challenge. \”ThisThere are two difficulties in the process. The first is starting from scratch as mentioned earlier. The second is the work we have to do during this process. For example, it is very difficult to lead this trend. ”

The trend is changing rapidly. What kind of design ideas and foresight can stand out? In Zhang Peng’s view, the designer’s work needs to predict and analyze. Excellent design strives to achieve a balance between rationality and sensibility. Teachers must have a rational way of thinking and emotional creativity at the same time.

At the Beijing Auto Show in April this year, there were many car-related topics. Design trends such as shape creation and line use have attracted attention, and many models that are still in the concept stage have also given different thoughts on design. At the Dongfeng Company\’s booth, the Dongfeng eπ new energy high-end vehicle has attracted much attention. The performance coupe concept car was created by Zhang Peng, and its design philosophy of \”quality, wisdom and joy\” really surprised the audience.

Zhang Peng at the Beijing Auto Show Introducing the Dongfeng eπ concept car

The Dongfeng eπ concept car is the preliminary display of Dongfeng\’s new design language. Tool•Aspire to the top, simple• Perfect beauty. \”Shuangyan·Lingdong\” is the interpretation of the external image; \”Grand weapon·Aiming for the top\” is the tempering of inner quality; and \”Simplicity· \”Zhenmei\” is a return to pure balance.

It is revealed that Dongfeng will release a complete design language for the entire series next year. At the same time, Dongfeng will soon put into use the Shanghai styling center, with the goal of It is to build more sophisticated autonomous cars

Zhang Pengtong. Shi believes that China still needs more accumulation in the design of some high-end models. “This not only takes into account the styling aspect, but also the design quality we are talking about. After the car is designed, the car must look good and make customers feel that we are good. This car also feels of high quality in terms of details. \”From this point of view, the design of the automotive industry is not only about appearance, but also \”from the inside out\”. This kind of attention to detail and the sense of texture that highlights every space require energy and strength.

In recent years, the market share of self-owned brand cars has increased rapidly. The collective upward trend of China\’s independent brands has become more and more obvious. \”In terms of the level of automobile industrialization, compared with some joint venture brands, our independent brands are actually comparable to that of some joint venture brands. However, compared with more first-class levels, we still have certain limitations.\” of the gap. \”Zhang Pengsay.

As a highly industrialized product, the complexity of automobile industrial design is far beyond the imagination of the outside world. Designers must consider many factors such as related market, engineering, technology, cost, etc. The evolution of automobile styling requires the development of industrial foundations. Lift. As the level of China\’s entire automobile industry improves, it will undoubtedly bring more confidence to the design of the automobile industry.