Ramblings' Journal

Cars seem to go through design phases together. This phase seems to be the loaf-of-bread-on-a-skateboard phase, Prius and Ford Focus are other examples.

Not that 1950s tail fins or the 1990s wedge cars that all looked like they were going downhill were things of beauty even in their day.

Mostly, you (and me!) are just getting too old to appreciate the modern stuff. I'll bet the music is too loud, too. ;)

Don't shoot the designer, shoot the Suits. From personal experience I can tell you that the marketing/exec muckety-mucks with absolutely no design sense nor training tell the designers what to do. Further, committee design usually results in a camel (a horse designed by committee).

I've often suggested that designers show up at staff meetings with new strategy and marketing plans, designers being arguably better at sensing trends, and see how that goes over.

When pigs fly. In the meantime place the blame where it belongs.

It looks like one of those Toyota Echos...I remember some fast-food burger place had a pretty funy commercial where a guy was driving a car named the Speck (McDoodle's, I think). That's what this thing looks like. I've often wondered if a company couldn't make a killing these days by doing what the VW folks did for years...pick a design and stick with it for years--decades, even. The Beetle had slight changes over the years, but parts were easy to find and they weren't a pain in the ass to work on.

Doing that, I'd think they'd save zillions in rettoling costs. I read somewhere that it costs upwards of $20 million just to design a single cup holder for one of today's models. Amazing.

freakin ugly

I don't like foreign cars, but back in the day, the Jetta was hot! Ugh...

I have a 2004 1.8 Turbo that is a great car. The new Jetta looks like a freakin Honda. I don't like the Passat's either. I may be out of the VW business. I've owned 4, 2 Jettas a Passat and an old Fox. All were excelent cars with the distinctive German look and feel. This new car is simply crap.

i have to agree with everyone the new jetta looks so darn ugly i hated the boxie style before the 99-04 years then started loving the jetta when they changed the look but now the new one just shot them in the foot i ask everyone who wants a jetta please wait BOY COTT THE NEW JETTA show how really mad we are with vw then they will change their mind and make something better next time