stopcrazypp

Autobloggreen reports Franz von Holzhausen is heading to Tesla Motors as design director. They got confirmation from Darryl Siry and Mike Bumbeck. Holzhausen headed design of the Mazda Nagare and Furai concept cars. He also was responsible for various GM cars like the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Chevy SS, etc.

This is exciting news, it means Tesla will have it's own exciting in house designs and probably even the Whitestar might benefit from this.

Links:
Franz von Holzhausen to Tesla Motors - AutoblogGreen

Original source from cardesignnews:
Franz von Holzhausen - Car Design News

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Because there are tons of crazy people in this world...

tonybelding

If you mean the cars might "benefit" the way the Solstice and Sky did, then I fear for the future of Tesla.

From the front, the Solstice looks to me like a rolling lump of. . . stuff that forms lumps. Use your imagination. Its nose is swollen, bulbous. From the moment I first saw the Solstice, it reminded me of those gutless, geeky, British things from the 1960s. It's not a good association.

The Sky looks like it was designed by a crazed origami artist. It has way too many folds and creases. Too busy, too baroque. . . Too non-aerodynamic. I guess someone who grew up playing with Transformer toys might go for that. I was never into Transformers.

Cobos

Don't get me wrong I want the Whitestar to have a great design, but I'm a bit afraid this will mean the Whitestar might get even more delayed....

Cobos

Cobos

Funny you should say that, I had a 3-4 year Transformer period in my childhood and my wife even had a crush on Optimus Prime :)
I think the Sky looks nice. I'll agree the Solstice on GMs webpage doesn't look that good, but I've been fooled with pictures before. Before I actually saw the Roadster I thought the design was only so-so, in real life it's gorgous.

Cobos

tonybelding

I agree. Even though I might quibble over a few details (the almost-vestigial rear wing, or the scowling front grille) it's simply beautiful over all. It's particularly clever how they used the carbon-fiber "roll bar" to make the car appear lower and sleeker than it actually is.

Also in the same space is the understated Miata. . . Which isn't beautiful, isn't exciting, but at least is clean-looking and inoffensive. They've sold 800,000 now, so they must be doing something right. (And the Miata began as a near-clone of the Lotus Elan, let us not forget.)

dpeilow

On the other hand, the Furai just left me awestruck when I saw it at Goodwood and BIMS. More like this please



(Not sure if it is a one-off or headed for Le Mans, I hope we will see more of it.)

malcolm

Working environment is everything. A design director is only as good as the team and management support allows. His concept cars look great - and so they should, but what's much more important is his contribution to production vehicles. I'm guessing this is the real reason behind his appointment.

I don't think this will delay Whitestar. Tesla know that they have to launch as close as they can to the 2011 window.

And I gotta say - I'm loving the level of Tesla's profile within the industry that they can recruit these people. Let's just hope they can avoid drifting into a restrictive "departmental" company structure.

tonybelding

Doesn't work for me.

It reminds me of those "fantasy knives" that were popular for a while. You know. . . the cheap Xena/Klingon things with all the weird curves, holes and spurs that would preclude any possible way of using it as an actual knife.

Finkenbusch

The hiring of former Mazdas ing. will not bring Tesla anything in substance.

Its a marketing gag only.

This might be hard to digest for the Tesla-fanboys - but thats it, sober seen

As the Tesla cars are basicallc produced like electric barbie dolls.
Look for the label "Made in ...."
Assembled from ready made of the shelf bought (mostly foreign) long existing products
(body including glass, lamps, cabling, gear, switches, inside el-cheapo plastic, finish and underhood fitted together at Lotus England, batteries imported from Thailand shipped by container to the US)
slammed together in a backdoor garage in the US.

Only the shell (produced in France/GB) is a outstanding complex carbon fiber - I'm not sure if anyone in the US can repair such material if ever damaged.
Most probably damaged hulls have to be replaced completely (for color reasons) or send back to GB. Carbon is extreme flexible but sturdy but not easily as metal mendable after a crash.
The few patents the company Tesla holds on the home-assembled-kit-car itself are very weak at best and will most probably fall in the first attempt by any competitor. The company (in a country having sent men to the moon and back) struggles getting a comparable simple drivetrain (since 1938 the automatic flavour are found on the market - today Porsche has today tiptronics as standard in all their cars) for a car to work as advertised a year ago.
A joke.

To set up a real new roadster model with all the molds, forms, by-materials and tools required (I know what I’m talking about) will widely surpass the deep pockets and abilities of a Mr. Musk (pretty rich by having drawn a lucky ticket and got into Tesla by chance - otherwise success-less as Dubya) the current occupier of tesla motors.
Everything besides his google adventure got/get bust as soon as he looks at it.
Not only after he has rude shown the door to the founder of Tesla inc, Marcus Eberhard
A not so appetizing rude king Midas of modern times.

Only have a look how he elegant gets himself seated in the car or how he walks - you know that boy has had a long ride down from the mountains to the city.

The move to highjack / bribe a otherwise renown designer is nothing more then dressing up the company for sale or IPO to the applauding claqueur / laymen.


To make my point clear - the setup for the carbon fiber and fibre glass body parts ALONE, of a Tesla is neither a easy nor trivial matter. Not speaking of the many other parts for which tools would have to be custom build before even thinking of assembling a own car is a logistic and technical task of enormous proportions. simply Tesla cannot handle that today and will not in the future.

Only the proper fitting and tightness of a wind (or side) screen or hardtop can be a unbelievable taunting task.
In form, material, how to handle (ship) and logic (assembly / service)
No company, even less nobody as individual person not real seasoned and experienced in that very industry and very deep pockets can hope to manage.
A designer can draw whatever he likes - this means nothing if one does not have the technicians to work it trough from ground up - and Tesla as it stands (and the success to get some cars actually on the street is indeed remarkable) are lacking that all the way.

What Tesla inc, especially because of the cultivated founder Martin Eberhard, have indeed accomplished so far is a huge marketing success.
Assisted by luck for having been exactly at the right time (oil bubble) around - but especially at disguising & selling a 99% foreign-importet-pre-finished good as american invention / product.

Cobos

Finkenbusch: You are jumping to conclusions. It has never been said that the Model S will use carbonfiber body panels. Actually it has been hinted to that it will not since carbonfiber is too expensive for a model priced at $59k. Noone knows yet what they will use, I suggested plastic in another thread and others have suggested aluminum, but noone knows anything.

Cobos