Gen3 "BlueStar" 2-door coupe styling ideas

[JRP3]

Aptera was horrible. I did say beautiful aero.

 

[AnOutsider]

I'd hug one of those to sleep every night.

 

[gjunky]

I was thinking something more practical but that last one is very nice. I could drive that

 

[vfx]

Von Holzhausen also admitted that the new model will boast more distinctive styling than the relatively conventional Model S. “We will become more experimental as we develop as a brand,” he said. “Our cars need to have some personality.”

Tesla exceed their aerodynamic goals on the Model S. Franz was not happy (reportedly) that he was constrained by the decisions that favored slipperiness. Perhaps he will flex a bit more design muscle on the Bluegen3star.

Big question for me is, will they get rid of the black oval on the front of the car?

 

[vfx]

... I think they'd keep the 17" screen, though.

Agreed or make it 15" or sumpin.

 

[brianman]

Ahem. Read the whole post.

Mistakes in my mockup:
...
2. where the tan curves on the dash, insert 15" panel flush with dash. panel basically remains horizontally aligned with armrests
...

 

[stopcrazypp]

sjoshuaj also did a nice render of a 4-seater here:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/show...ng-ideas/page5?p=148203&viewfull=1#post148203

Personally I think if GenIII is a hatchback for the base version (competing with 1 series, A3, Mini Cooper), there's probably two directions for the coupe.

Something like the Scirocco or 3-door 1 series(basically a hatchback like coupe):

Or the something more like the 1-series coupe (sedan-like):

I don't see something that's too sexy/curvy (that's probably the Model S coupe and Roadster).

 

[doug]

Ahem. Read the whole post.

I did. I'd keep it 17" huge. :smile:

 

[dsm363]

I still think they need to keep it seating 5, even if it is cramped. They probably won't have a battery tunnel to deal with so they should be able to have a back middle seat.

 

[WhiteKnight]

I think Gen 3 will have more of a cab forward design since the front trunk is superfluous and it plays to the strength of the skateboard platform (namely large ratio of interior volume to total volume).

 

[JRP3]

The thing is for really good aero you want it to taper in the back, three seats might make that difficult. As for the screen, I think the 17 inch is too much real estate in a smaller vehicle, but it might be cheaper to just use the same unit as the S instead of building another smaller one.

 

[JRP3]

Cab forward :biggrin:

I agree that aero should be even more important in the Gen III, unless they know about a battery cost and density breakthrough. Still no reason to ignore efficiency.

 

[adric22]

Its hard to tell which direction that car is facing.. I don't care for that design.

 

[ElSupreme]

This is what I am secretly hoping for from Tesla (maybe not for Gen III). I want a car that doesn't conform to existing vehicle shapes that have evolved from ICE layout requirements. I want to drive a half a teardrop.

Although I bet those semi-open rear wheels aren't very aero.

 

[TEG]

I think Gen 3 will have more of a cab forward design since the front trunk is superfluous and it plays to the strength of the skateboard platform (namely large ratio of interior volume to total volume).

"Cab forward" is a little at odds with modern safety standards. You need a fairly large crumple zone up front.

 

[Kevin Harney]

This is what I am secretly hoping for from Tesla (maybe not for Gen III). I want a car that doesn't conform to existing vehicle shapes that have evolved from ICE layout requirements. I want to drive a half a teardrop.

Although I bet those semi-open rear wheels aren't very aero.

I think the semi-open wheels on the left side of the picture are the FRONT wheels ?!?!?!

 

[TEG]

Its hard to tell which direction that car is facing.. I don't care for that design.

I was just watching a TV program about BMW.
One thing a designer said is "we always design cars to make it obvious which direction they should travel."

 

[TEG]

I think the semi-open wheels on the left side of the picture are the FRONT wheels ?!?!?!

 

[Discoducky]

"Cab forward" is a little at odds with modern safety standards. You need a fairly large crumple zone up front.

With no ICE upfront, we should be able to get 3 to 4 inches. I just worry about the ingress/egress for the front passengers around the wheels.

 

[brianman]

The thing is for really good aero you want it to taper in the back, three seats might make that difficult.

I considered doing the tapering, but my MsPaint skills only go so far for quick mockups. If you remove the middle seat, the individually adjustable armrests lend toward the front needing more width than the back. So tapering is natural with 2 seats in the back.