Instant Recognition – Iconic Motors

Design is everything with cars no matter what era is under discussion, but in modern times when there are accusations that every vehicle looks the same, it is vital to make your products stand out. It can be the most subtle touch that gives a vehicle the edge, whether it’s a badge, symbol or hood ornament such as the Spirit of Ecstasy that adorns every Rolls Royce.

Over the last ten years, there have been some iconic cars produced that we may take for granted, but overall they really stand out in a crowd and they don’t have to be huge 4×4 models or sleek sports cars to make an impact.

Smart Cars have been around much longer than most consumers imagine and the very first vehicle rolled off the production line back in the mid-1990s. However, the last ten years has seen a real boom for these small yet classically designed cars. Smart make a number of vehicles but it’s the compact Fourtwo that heads their range. Picking up on the need for smaller, economical cars that answer the desire for fuel efficiency, Smart were the forerunners of a market that has seen an incredible rise in the supermini style in recent years. The Smart Car doesn’t always attract admiring comments and a typical disparaging remark suggests that it looks like a ‘training shoe on wheels’ but it is instantly recognizable and hard to ignore.

At the other end of the scale from Smart, there will always be a need for speed and a classically designed sports car. It must be so difficult to design anything new in this niche and maybe that’s why the Audi TT has really stood out as one of the most iconic vehicles of the last few years. After appearing as a concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1995, the first TTs were made available for sale three years later and it’s fair to say that they were an instant success. The perfectly rounded shape became immediately recognizable and while the speed and performance were additional attractions, it was always going to be the design that made the car such a hit with consumers.

Elsewhere, there is a huge retro market for designs in many areas. With that in mind, the VW Beetle made a triumphant return to roads around the world after a long hiatus. Arguably, the most iconic of any car from any era, the very first Beetles appeared way back in the late 1930s and from the 1950s onwards, their sales exploded to make them one of the most popular cars in the world. Production of the original crop of Beetles ceased in the 1980s, blaming amongst other factors, the rise of the VW Golf. They re-appeared in a more modern format some years later and while it appears that the brand may have finally disappeared for good, sales of second hand models are brisk.

The combination of a retro look with a modern, fuel efficient vehicle has also made the Fiat 500 such a success since it returned to the world’s roads. The early versions of the 500 were angular, rather ugly vehicles and when you combined those features with a small engine, that wasn’t such a requirement in the 1970s and 1980s. Sales were mixed outside of its native Italy. Production of the original vehicle was therefore halted in 1975 but it re-appeared in 2007 to an audience that was much more appreciative of what it had to offer. A new, rounded design was key to its success and it was a far more attractive car to be seen driving around in. Add to that the ‘green’ features that the new Fiat 500 brought with it and you now had the best of everything.

The re-appearance of cars such as the Beetle and the Fiat 500 says a lot about car design and as with the Audi TT and the Smart Car, it’s the look as much as anything that sells a car. It may provide a host of benefits and features but a car is a visual thing and ultimately, you will fall in love with how it looks above anything else.

If you are considering any of these cars find out what you can afford using this handy car finance calculator.