December 19, 2020
Toyota City, Japan
High ranking personnel from the SHINKA brands (and their US/North American subsidiaries): Kaizen, Kurokama, RCN, and Eon, are gathered among a long table, along with the main designer from Spander Design.
The lead designer of Kaizen Corporation North America hands a portable hard drive with the files of submissions for the new Kurokama executive class sedan bid, from major and amateur designers alike. This drive is inserted into a laptop, where the screen is shared on a large flat TV. As this is an international competition, and knowing the current world situation, it was not possible to do their usual studio preview. Blender style files and images will have to do.
The first car to pop up is a striking design from an iconic Italian sports car manufacturer…
Zephorus E777
@Riley
First impressions were very positive, and the team was very enamored with the well sculpted, tense, and purposefully aggressive fascia that conveyed a sense of subtle elegance. It really fits the “power fist” theme well, as it looks like the car is crouching forward and ready to punch through the air, and the headlights give off a vague fist style. In addition, the grill pieces fit together well, and every fixture there adds to the powerful aesthetic. This however, makes it more suitable for a Kaizen than the more thoughtful and harmonic look of a Kurokama.
Worth noting is how well the front and rear seamlessly work together. The rear is generally well designed, bringing a nice dash of elegance that fits the purposeful themes of Kurokama and Kaizen. Unfortunately, the rear bumper arrangement looks like a last minute thought, and is integrated poorly with the rest of the design, requiring more molding and thought, especially for the application of the exhausts.
The DRLs are well placed on the outside edges, and the lights fully utilize the width of the car, which along with the fender flares give an impression of a car that can assert its dominance on the road, butting out others.
One interesting detail is the chrome side lines, which seamlessly integrate the door handles, and makes a good attempt at connecting the front and rear. It lines up flawlessly with the rear lights, but the team would prefer the front section to line up with the oversized side vents instead of the door sills, as its current configuration completely wrecks the muscle look that is augmented by the lower molding, and causes some cacophony of contrasting geometric and biological design elements. In addition, none of the flat side design emphasis dynamic shaping. This is made worse by the lack of trim to bring focus to the side, making it look incomplete. On the other hand, the team were the fan of the roof, with a nicely integrated panoramic sunroof.
However, the most severe of the issues is the fact that this design (in their view) does not get the fundamentals of a premium executive sedan. Particularly noteworthy is the observation that the bottom of the A-pillar is pushed too front forward, fiving the side profile an awkward, cab-forward profile that hints at a FWD layout, which is undesirable for a premium car, much less one being sold in the US. The unusually low slope of the A pillar is not compensated by the higher slope C pillar, giving a short bonnet, poor proportions, and a downmarket/smaller look style wise.
Also not helping is the potentially awkward design choices of the mirrors, they are placed a bit too forward, and contribute to the FWD cab forward look that further detracts from the intended premium executive sedan feel.
Overall, the Zephorus E777 manages to blend aggressiveness and elegance in a highly compelling package, while getting several fundamental concepts wrong. Regardless, it serves as a good way to start up the process.
A Kaizen executive commented how it would serve as a nice basis for their compact TR series.
A file from a legendary Romanian designer was loaded up.
Kaizen Kurokama
Some of the Kurokama and Kaizen officials gasps in horror at the gaping grill of the avant-garde sedan. At first glance, that grill gives off a vulgar and “dumb” appearance not befitting of a premium sedan, and could be repulsive to American buyers. The team also weren’t so convinced of the disorderly sides of the bottom vent, which reminded them of a shark’s gaping mouth (this is definitely NOT the car breaking itself). Also the amount of lights could be outright overwhelming to some, but this wasn’t seen as a general issue. In addition, the badging in the center of the grill was considered questionably placed, a placement on one of the low corners would have been much more appropriate.
However, once that subsided, it was clear that the bold design is able to give off elegance in a a distinctively European style. The slim headlights give off a purposeful and somewhat minimalistic feel, with a crash course in overt aggressiveness. Every front light is seamlessly integrated in the fascia, especially the flawless fit of the foglights and grill. The disconnected light strips do give off a vague Kurokama association, an arrangement that might as well be unrecognizable as a Kurokama to the most consumers.
However it is clear that despite those gaping flaws in the car’s design choices, it does get the basics right, with a relatively long hood and right sized overhangs, with a good proportions. The general profile gives the impression and slicing through the air, which is good for a Kurokama, although there were some comments about how it looked more like a bubble, as the cabin did seem slightly pushed forward. However, this also leads it to lack the desired dynamic muscle looks of a premium sedan, giving it a tamer appearance. The very smooth design (and most glaringly lack of body molding on the top part of the side) led some to see it as a passive low energy design. However, the car uses black trim well, trim pieces on the bottom of the side and a black roof panel giving the car much needed definition in the shaping.
However any pretense of harmony and elegance is shattered by the half-done rear. The team did like the internals as an interesting take on the traditional Kurokama design, they are quite bold, which does match the front quite well. However, the boxy design meshes poorly with the slippery design, and they are hampered by the lack of wraparound, dating it significantly. In addition, there are no definite provisions for a license place, and the rear vent and exhaust area looks like an afterthought, making the car look blander. Fortunately, the general rear design does use its space quite well.
The team concluded that while the appreciation for the modern, striking, efficient, and smooth design is high, several turn-off design choices don’t do it much favor, and it was concluded that a market like China would appreciate such a bold design far more than the more conservative markets of the US, with unclear potential in Europe. Likewise, the executives see this proposal as having high potential throughout the SHINKA alliance.
The design from a longstanding partner is brought up.
Kurokama FBK Hybrid
@Reizei
The Sakai Design Studio submission represents a more traditional approach to a luxury Japanese sedan, and the team breathed a sigh of relief. The front is somewhat tamer than the Zephorus and the OME design, but exhibits chiseled and confident looks, a good balance of the Kurokama and Kaizen styles. The headlight internals resemble knuckles of a clenched fist ready for action, and molding is strategically placed to give depth. The smooth top grill section helps give a reasonably slick look, which helps modernize the front. The front vents are well designed, they use the space well, and mesh well with the general design, helping the design balance the demands of sportiness and luxury, with well integrated foglights. Overall, the team had the impression of the car not only having the power to punch through the air, but the patience to slip through it, something the previous two designs couldn’t balance as well. One area of contention was that there was no area for a license plate.
Furthermore, the car has very attractive proportions that are proper for a RWD premium executive sedan that will appeal to the American market. It uses its black trim on the side and roof well, giving the car a sharper appearance, although that lower side trim could be longer and slightly shorter (this might be a game issue though). However, the side molding received significant criticism, as it is poorly integrated, with the chunky dimensions conflicting with the dynamic intentions, giving an unfinished look. The team would prefer a single deeper indent. In addition, the forward side vents were seen as “not belonging” on the car.
The sloppily placed side decal was also a major glaring point.
It did not get better once the very flat rear came into view. While the rear vent area was seen as well designed and integrated, the exhausts would be better seen on a sport version, and would require significant reworking for daily use. Furthermore, the rear vents looked slapped on. The license plate area with connecting bar connects the rear lights very well. The outer edges of those lights were generally seen as too thin and weak (delicate), failing to bring a confident appearance that the front brought to the table, although the team had no objections to the light layout. Furthermore, the rear is overly flat, with a lack of depth from no body molding, and overly round and smooth integration of the sides and rear.
Overall though, the Japanese design presents a particularly compelling case for its adoption, nailing the fundamentals while requiring some working of the details.
The file from an enthusiast American designer is loaded up.
Kurokama S70
@Be_gone_thot
The bulging front looks significantly bulkier and muscular than the other submissions, to the point of being brash and perhaps unsophisticated, as it brings an impression of bring too tall and unwieldy. Part of this is the large body molding on the bottom that add some nice punch. Lights heavily use Kurokama design elements, and help bolster the bullish looks by using the wide space in a well defined manner. The general foglight design strongly mirrors the TU2 update of the K612 generation Kaizen SC, and does a reasonably good attempt of bringing some elegance to the design, although not quite as fitting for the Kurokama compared to the Kaizen, as it simply looks like it is floating above the abyss of the vent. The hexagonal arrangement of the grill and vents are a nice touch, but the design could be even bolder by making the grill wider.
This muscular theme extends to the side, which actually uses its shorter bonnet to its advantage. One potential problem is how it heavily resembles a liftback, which might not do so well in the American market. It does vaguely resemble a cheetah ready to spring up, this tension being augmented by the well designed side molding, although the top molding could be deeper. The door handles are a bit thin and jut out a bit too much. Some black trim on the bottom would further complete the design, much like it did on the roof. These changes could make the side much more dynamic, a significant improvement over the current relatively flat design.
This design was considered to have the best rear bumper arrangement of the 4, featuring well integrated rear reflectors and exhausts in a meticulous and modern housing. The lights are a proper blend of traditional design cues and a more modern and confident application, fully utilizing their space, and connected well by the license plate area and light connecting bar.
Unfortunately, this is heavily impeded by the fact that most of the rear remains unused, an issue that also plagues the FBK. This could be resolved by the use of body molding. It looks very empty and incomplete, begging for some more dynamic touches.
After a few hours of meticulous and holistic review, the SHINKA team pick up their order from an unidentified restaurant. Shortly after they return, a pretty intensive debate pops up…
Results
Congratulations @Reizei, your submission has been selected as the basis for a new generation of Kurokama executive class cars! Once finalized, it will be christened the Sora, and will revive the venerable nameplate, while spearheading Kurokama’s revival in the American automotive market.
However it would be wise to note that all 4 designs will have influence in the production model, as they all brought a useful characteristic to the table.
.1. @Reizei
TIE 2. @Be_gone_thot
TIE 2. @Riley
.3. @OME
shut up css
