With the Holden VF Commodore exterior design �??sculptural�?� has replaced �??geometrical�?� as the design team set out to replace the previous car�??s blocky appearance with a more curvature look. Two looks have been created �?" VF Luxury and VF Sport, with the latter under embargo until 12am Friday.
�??Back in VE days, the surface language trend was sheer geometrical,�?� tells exterior chief designer Richard Ferlazzo (below).
�??These days things have evolved, and we see a lot more sculptural elements and sinewy detail in all cars.
�??That�??s great because it works well with what we already had. With such good bones, all we needed to do was enhance the original car.�?�
Speaking about the design philosophy behind the VF Commodore, Ferlazzo cites the belief that �??[large sedans] don�??t need to be all things to all men anymore �?� so [it�??s] afforded us the luxury of pushing this thing [VF] more upmarket as an aspirational car.�?�
The only common parts the VF Commodore shares with the outgoing VE are the door skins, roof and window glass, although Ferlazzo adds that �??we did need to modify the doors with new passive-entry door handles, but the form shape is the same..�?�
The bonnet and bootlid are stamped in aluminium to reduce weight.
Ferlazzo points to the �??nice power bulge in the centre�?� of the new bonnet, and the �??sweeping line that comes off the A-pillar to come towards the new �??majestic�?? grille�?��?�
With raised eyebrows over the chrome elements on the Calais V-Series model, Ferlazzo clarifies that �??if it [chrome] is tastefully applied, the sculptural elements�?� it looks very rich. That�??s what we tried to do with this car.�?�
�??Headlamps are another element of recent technologies�?��?� the design chief adds.
�??Details of grilles and lamps and pieces of jewellery in themselves harks back to the earlier days before they were hiding all the optics �?� when the inside was just so interesting to look at�?�.
The wheelarch flares have been shaved to get the Commodore�??s relatively poor aerodynamics number down to further assist with Holden�??s fuel economy targets.
�??[There is] a smoother transition into the wheelarches �?� creating the illusion of it blending in,�?� says Ferlazzo.
�??At VE time we wanted a muscular [wheelarch] look, now we�??re going for sculptural.�?�
Although the door skins are unchanged, new front guards with a longer vertical �??kink�?? reminsicent of that shown on the Coupe 60 concept �?" �??Coupe 60 and VF were being designed at the same time,�?� hints Ferlazzo �?" makes the side of the VF Commodore looks different to the VE.
�??The way the fender vent went before, it didn�??t whip around in a sharp fashion.
�??The fender is all new and we�??ve highlighted the fender vent �?� we�??ve added a little bit more embellishment with the bright detailing, and the side repeater lamp remains in that location.
�??The way we�??ve incorporated this, even if we haven�??t changed the form of the doors, gives an illusion of [change]�?��?�
Although the one-piece side body stamp has been changed to accept the lower bootlid deck, the rear window glass remains the same, and Ferlazzo confesses that he would have liked a �??faster�?� roofline to blend into the lower, more curvaceous rear end.
�??[With VE] we had these geometric [rear] lamps in the corners, now we have these sweeping lamps that come into the decklid,�?� says Ferlazzo. �??One piece aluminium bootlid, aero ducktails, [and] we�??ve removed the licence plate graphic from the bootlid to down below and that gives an entirely different look�?�
�??So we�??ve got the illusion of the width, and the perfect proportions of the car �?" long, low and wide.�?�
Ferlazzo insists he did not set out to �??intentionally�?� look smaller than VE, but �??fresher, sleeker and more sculptural.�?�
�??But we didn�??t want to make it look larger, of course,�?� he jokes.
Aerodynamics performance also played on the designers minds, perhaps more than at any time in the Commodore�??s history. In addition to shaving the wheelarches, a ducktail lip spoiler, sharper edges of the tailight plastic covers, and a rear bumper that tucks under the rear wheelarches are all crucial moves to achieving a �??much lower�?� aerodynamics Cd rating, which was always a VE sore point.
�??Any aero guy will tell you that towards the back of the car you need crisp edges�?��?� tells the design chief.
�??We knew it back in the VT days, but the trend wasn�??t for that at the time, we had a soft rounded look�?�
�??If you have a target for aero, you either find it in other areas, or you incorporate them all. You incorporate them all, and you�??re probably not going to like the look.
�??So it�??s just a balance between all the aero enablers and the styling trends and the freshness that we can all accept.�?�
Holden will lift the embargo on the second VF Commodore �??face�??, the SS variant, at 12am Friday February 15th.
�
0 comments:
Post a Comment