First boring, now ugly - VWs just keep looking worse

They have chosen an elegant environment at Volkswagen to present their latest creation for the automotive future: The “Chantilly Arts

In the pictures, the shape is reminiscent of a clumsy toy car, on which a bubble-like, curved pulpit was placed. Towards the rear, this cabin becomes narrower and flatter. Also black, so you probably can't see behind the car from the inside. Instead, you look forward through the semi-circular glass onto a bonnet, the meaning of which is not revealed. There isn't a motor among them, because the Gen.Travel naturally drives electrically and completely autonomously.

For Volkswagen, this car continues what the group is currently suffering from: the cars no longer look good. The electric cars ID.3 and ID.4 in particular cannot keep up visually with previous generations of combustion engines. The ID.4 looks beefy, clumsy, and even less elegant than the current study. Plastic is installed in the interior, which seems too cheap for cars that cost over 40,000 euros. Even executives in Wolfsburg grumble audibly about these design weaknesses. When the new CEO, Oliver Blume, promised his top managers that he would once again place more value on product quality, he received a great deal of applause. Now he has to deliver too.

A lot depends on the design at Volkswagen for the whole group. Other brands in the group find it easier to put attractive cars on the road or to develop visions. With its Cupra sub-brand, Seat has scooped a number of prizes, while Skoda has visually set itself apart from Volkswagen. And Audi's "Sphere" vision models, an autonomous electric vehicle trilogy, are beautiful, futuristic cars. But they wouldn't work with the VW logo.

If you drive a Volkswagen, a Golf or a Tiguan, you don't want to attract attention. The cars should appear solid, timeless and reliable. Just like the German middle class. Other brands are responsible for extravagant design.

But it shouldn't be boring either. Volkswagen's only optically really successful electric model is the ID.Buzz, the reincarnation of the legendary VW Bulli. The fired CEO Herbert Diess had boasted that he was the driver of the model. But what use is such a niche product with comparatively small production numbers if the big revenue generators planned in the millions don't work?

Last year, at the IAA Auto Show, VW presented a study for the upcoming small electric car that was vaguely reminiscent of a Trabi – also because the body of the car is made of modern plastic instead of steel. The car looked original, but it will definitely not be built in this form as a serial vehicle. The optical step would be too big for the customers.

This also applies to the Gen.Travel study. "Form follows freedom" is what VW chief designer Klaus Zyciora calls the concept. Now you can define the principle of freedom for every area of ​​life. Unfortunately, it is not clear what the design of an autonomously driving car has to do with it. Maybe it just means that you have a particularly clear view from the moving car.

"Everything on shares" is the daily stock exchange shot from the WELT business editorial team. Every morning from 7 a.m. with our financial journalists. For stock market experts and beginners. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music and Deezer. Or directly via RSS feed.